#thank you for coming to my Ted Talk rant and rave

[ad-hawkeye]

You came up on my recommended feed at the perfect time bc I have Artem brainrot rn AND YOUR ANALYZATION OF ARTEM’S CARDS ARE FANTASTIC! I’m one of the few players that avoids most CN server spoilers, and I’ve been abstaining from pulling most cards so I can pull for 3rd anni(which now I’m kinda questioning if I should LOL), so I missed out on a TON of content for all of the male leads. BUT, from the very few cards I had pulled this past yr, I did notice an odd shift in Artem’s personality. Although, I wasn’t too sure if it was just me being dumb or if it was a real thing that was happening. And after reading some of your posts I kinda want to re-read Artem’s Second Anni Card again bc I was so excited for the artwork from that event, that I didn’t pay much attention to the story LOL However, now that I’ve seen what you’ve said and what many other Artem fans have said, I’m sure my feelings weren’t wrong. And now I’m sad 😢

Artem was my favorite bc his relationship with Rosa felt the healthiest and was built on respecting each other’s boundaries, learning how to set boundaries, and working as a team, while also having a more traditional framework of a male leadership role(which I’m extremely fond of). Artem never restricted Rosa from spreading her wings as his work partner or as his life partner, he simply asked if he could come along beside her where ever she wanted to go. AND LIKE HIS ORIGINAL PERSONAL STORY IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS BEHAVIOR! Rosa makes a reckless decision to go get evidence, without Artem, for a the domestic violence case they were working on and almost gets hurt in the process. After that, Artem scolds Rosa for being reckless and for not taking better care of herself. And Rosa doesn’t take it lying down either! They equally argue and get their grievances out in the open, feel bad about later, and apologize. (THE COMMUNICATION IS SO REAL 😩) FURTHERMORE! This incident leads them to learning and understanding how differently they work as lawyers. Artem learns that Rosa is a lot more personal with her clients and handles her cases with an empathetic approach, while he works more pragmatically, so through this case they learn to work to each other’s strengths as partners, covering for what the other person lacks. And the chapters this incident took place in solidified my growing love for Artem bc unlike Luke or Vyn(I’m not sure about Marius bc admittedly I haven’t read his original personal story 😅), Artem doesn’t hinder Rosa by being overprotective like Luke or push her beyond her capacities like Vyn tried to do in his original personal story. Artem allows a natural course of growth to occur in Rosa, while being a hedge of protection for Rosa BUT ONLY when she seems to REALLY need it, and the same can be said for Rosa towards Artem.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, sorry for ranting 😅

WAHHH YOU'RE TOO KIND!! ;_; thank you so much for the sweet words, it really means a lot!!! i'm so so happy you enjoyed my ranting and raving, honestly having a community of super awesome people to talk about this with has been such a comfort and ive made some awesome friends from my time here, even if we don't chat as much anymore!

and omg, do NOT ever feel bad for ranting in my inbox!!!! i've been ranting about tot in the main tag for two years at this point and i will Always be thrilled to read delightfully written meta such as yours!!!!!

i have to say, i entirely agree with all of this. and i mean ALL OF IT. his personal stories 2, 3, and 4 are my absolute favorites of his and gosh that's like. prime artem to me, i think. your ask reminded me of some meta i read such a long while ago about his second personal story (link can be found here, it's SUCH a good read)

i think a huge issue is that artem originally always felt like the antithesis to your typical daddy dom boss character. when you start playing tot, appearances wise, he looks and even comes across as one. but these initial appearances are quickly shattered.

he is absolutely inexperienced with interpersonal relationships. he fumbles the bag CONSTANTLY with rosa. he's terrible at holding conversation, he's constantly apologizing for being boring. he needs his own fucking boss to wingman (haha. wing) for him. he blushes if mc looks at him the wrong way. he's kinda strange. but he's earnest and genuine. he respects rosa's boundaries. he makes mistakes, but learns from them. he gives rosa time to think over her feelings for him so she can still say no to him if she changes her mind.

it's the contrast between this and his initial appearance that makes him interesting. what is extremely bizarre with artem's recent writing is it feels like someone who only read artem's introduction scene got some vague pointers and was like oh. your typical daddy dom boss guy. okay yeah i can write this. and then they did. which . defeats the whole entire point of what made artem compelling in the first place. he was compelling BECAUSE he subverted this trope. by just making him play the trope straight, you remove any and all intrigue from his character.

by not building off of older cards, you abandon all of the plot lines he had set up. they undid any angst in his stories. they dropped his issues with his parents. they downplayed neils impact on his life. he doesn't even grieve for him anymore. he doesnt even think about him most of the time. what happened to entwined fate? praying for neil's safety? what about neil being his father figure? neil potentially betraying the nxx? are we just going to ignore that now so we can watch artem be an insane freak who just apparently woke up with the skills of a sex god, forgot all of the lessons he learned, and doesnt care about consent anymore?

god, now IM ranting.... regardless. youre so right. i hear artem's newest cards are good so im praying those rumors are true : ((

EDIT: SORRY I MEANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS THIRD ANNIVERSARY CARD!!! it's not as bad as his second anniversary card. i know the bar is in hell but it's something. it's pretty contrived in the grand scheme of things (like why are they moving into a house...?) and has some weird moments, but is ultimately not as bad as it could have been in the slightest. i'd say its biggest crime is being boring as sin. holy fuck. i put that shit on 2x speed and i still found myself wanting to fast forward. like nothing happens at all???? it's so bizarre HAHA

#asks #tears of themis #artem wing #fifty shades of artem #sorry i know i sound bitter but i think its just bc i really adored artem so much (and still do LOL) and want better for him #ugh #long post

[bidokja]

ok i gotta ask. what is sclasses. are you willing to please give me a link and also possibly a pitch to sclasses. webtoon or novel first?

OH BOY, so "sclasses" is my tag for "The S-Classes That I Raised" (AKA "My S-Ranks" and "My S-Class Hunters"). It's a KRN webnovel with a manhwa adaption.

You can find the novel being currently translated by SFS Translations and the manhwa being officially translated on Webtoon. There's also a fan translation being done by Asurascans that is much farther ahead of the official manhwa TL.

For an introductory premise/summary:

Dungeons. Monsters. Awakened. A game-like System to package it all in. It seems straightforward enough, but a more troubling truth lies beneath the surface. With his younger brother's blood still staining his clothes, Han Yoojin obtains a means to turn back time. He siezes the opportunity, hoping to get a fresh start. Live a cleaner, less chaotic life. Unfortunately, his choice does quite the opposite, and he becomes the centerpiece of the chaos to come. Slowly but surely, the packaging is ripped away.

Things like my personal pitch, my love for Yoo Myeongwoo, and my novel vs manhwa recommendations are below the cut.

For my personal pitch, honestly...just being able to peek into Yoojin's thoughts is so worth it. He is the funniest motherfucker unlimited. No contest. The writing balances this quite well, too. I like to approach sclasses with the mindset that its most major sub-genre is "comedy", but it still knows when to take itself seriously.

Also, the approach the series takes with the tropes of dungeons, systems, and regression is refreshingly different from other series. It manages to give explanations that don't detract from the fantasy, but rather add to the growing horror. The pacing is great, with stakes being raised and revealed at just the right times. As for characters, literally everyone is interesting. Everyone. They're all batshit in different ways and have ZERO shame about it. I love to study them under the microscope in my brain. Most of them are also very compelling (even the ones you hate).

AND. MOST IMPORTANTLY. YOO MYEONGWOO EXISTS. LOOK AT HIM. MI POBRECITO MIAU MIAU. MY BABYGIRL.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk <3

P.S. - To answer your last question, I recommend the novel first, but the manhwa doesn't fall far behind.

I've already talked a bit about what parts of the writing I like above. The novel itself goes into a bit more depth, and has more gradual and fluid connections between events. It also shows WAY more of Yoojin's inner ranting and raving, which - as I've said - is genuinely such a huge part of the S-Classes expereince for me.

That being said, the manhwa is really good. Firstly, the art is amazing. I can't say it clears my bar for diversity (but no manhwa has done that so far so...y'know), but it's so much less stiff and more vibrant than a lot of studio work I've seen churned out lately so kudos there for sure. I also think that it manages to nail the impact of a few scenes even better than the novel does, and so far the edits to the pacing are well done to fit the more limited room of a comic medium without skipping important info and while still conveying the intended progression for the plot and characters. Which, maybe all these seem like basic things, but is something SO many adaptions drop the ball on.

#the s classes that i raised #my s class hunters #mine #sclasses #that summary is spoiler free btw you learn about his brother and the regression thing all in ch1 it is quite literally the intro

[daddymus-papatron]

inhale Ted Lasso I love you rant

For many, many reasons, this makes Ted Lasso one of the greatest TV show of this era, in my opinion... But mainly, because each week, Icewolf and I have a shared moment over something wonderful, no matter how bad the week had been.

Icewolf and I are very, very different people. They're a business analyst that love statistics, numbers and graphs, I'm a writer classically trained as a graphic designer that watch way too many TV shows.

They told me about Ted Lasso since day one, begged me to watch it but there was one catch: it was about football. So I said: "No."

No thank you even. "Soccer" Pah! I'm Canadian, we watch hockey. A game that ends in a tie is ridiculous and why is there 6 leagues but you always hear about the same 3 teams? I'll pass on this 'Ted Lasso'

How foolish of me.

You see, for me football was the very complicated "soccer" sport Icewolf enjoyed and raved about statistics with unbridled enthusiasm. As much as I enjoyed reading about random players hi-jinxes or the latest record broken, in the end, I had little to no care.

What compels me is good writing, the over achieving arcs of each seasons, how episodes teases and foreshadows what will happen later (looking at you WWDITS) So I did not see how a show about "soccer" would give me that satisfaction.

Then, came S2 and Tumblr started to campaign to promote it. Saw a few gifs that were hilarious, the dude with the funky hair is kinda cute, big eyebrow dude says fuck every 2 words... I might be interested into looking it up before S2 starts, you know.

Jason Sundkist is funny, I knew him from SNL, the rest was mostly unfamiliar. Hannah Waddingham is incredibly hot, holy shit. So sure, let's start with the first episode and go from there.

Then, the horrors. I will spare you the horrors but I need to mention them before moving on.

Which brings me to today. This 12th week of 2023 has been a shit show for both of us, without giving too much details it ranges from death to international travel going haywire.

Season 3 is coming out, one episode per week, Icewolf and I wait for each episodes with bathed breath, excited to rave about it together.

Only, the things we talk about are completely different. I cannot emphasis how different they are. Here's an example of how different:

Icewolf — Today at 10:39 AM Let me open Football Manager, I will show you

They then proceed to go into extreme details about a play called 4-4-2 and how on Ted Lasso it would become a 4-5-1, with diagrams from Football Manager and a 1k essay on how it would work on the technical side. Not mentioning who the newest player is based on in real life and where that player is now in his career.

Meanwhile, I'm screaming about character growth, how putting one player on the bench over the other would impact the team emotionally wise, how the pacing of each episode is a roller coaster of funny, sentimental, touching, then funny and back to sentimental and back to funny.

It's not overwhelming, the pacing is like a metronome, joke, feelings, jokes, plot, joke, feelings. When you sit in front of a new Ted Lasso episode, you know it'll be the best 45 minutes of the week.

There's very few TV shows that I will hands own recommend to ANYONE but Ted Lasso has earn that spot. In this era of binging, that Ted Lasso is released weekly is one of it's biggest strength in my opinion.

Even if you see the plot coming, either because you have deep knowledge of the intricacies of football or you can predict any plot of any TV show by watching 3 episodes, it's still so fucking enjoyable.

Of course the big player will come to Richmond, of course there will be conflict between the boys and their plays. It's a romcom. Ted keeps telling us that, in the 'Ted Lasso Universe' (TLU has been claimed I know) this TV show is a romcom. Constantly.

Yet you keep on watching, because it's funny, because it's heart warming, because the characters are real and deep, from Ted Lasso to Bumbercatch the 'less midfielder' (Icewolf's words).

For many, many reasons, this makes Ted Lasso one of the greatest TV show of this era, in my opinion... But mainly, because each week, Icewolf and I have a shared moment over something wonderful, no matter how bad the week had been.

#Ted Lasso

[quixotickaya]

Things That Are Pissing Me Off

Somewhere between 5:30 and 6am on Monday morning, we had about 7-8 inches of snow from the night before, and it was still coming down. I found myself in an unusually good mood, and very motivated, so I went out into the parking lot of my apartment building and I shoveled my car out.  Deducing that it was late enough by then that my mother would be awake, I went to her apartment and got her keys so I could move her car and shovel out her parking spot. I shoveled and scraped them both down to bare pavement and put both cars back where they belonged.

I still had some time and some motivation, so I started clearing a path for one of my neighbors to get to her car door, and move her car out, but I wasn’t about to wake her up to get her keys, so I only partially shoveled her out and cleaned off her rig. I finished around 7am.

I was very careful not to put any of the snow that I shoveled in anyone else’s way.  I didn’t shovel my snow into anyone else’s parking space or push it in front of or behind anyone else’s vehicle.  I didn’t block anyone in or make a mess of anything I shouldn’t have. I threw any and all excess snow into the yard or into a spot that I knew would be plowed in a couple of hours or pushed it clear across the parking lot away from other vehicles. I was mindful, thoughtful, and considerate.  When I came home this evening, someone had filled my parking spot with snow.  The person who parks on the left of me had cleaned off his car and shoveled or pushed all of it into my parking space after the plow truck had already left (according to my mother who was home all day).

I got home around 5:30 in the evening, at which point I parked in the nearest free spot, which belongs to someone who rents a car port, and he does not use his spot in the winter.  I had been in bed for about 30 minutes and already gotten Ivy to sleep before I realized that this is the best metaphor yet for my existence.

I’m not saying that I have no friends or that no one ever helps me.  Stop taking everything I say personally.  My shit is about me, not you.  No, what I’m saying is that, given the energy and the opportunity, I will happily help where help is apparently needed with consideration for others and not ask for them to do the same for me…  So, this is not about the fact that no one shovels out my parking spot.  I’m not hoping that my mother or my neighbor, or anyone else will pay me back, because that’s not genuine kindness.  No, I’m talking about how I can go out of my way for others, and then as soon as I turn around, someone will go out of their way to be inconsiderate to me, either due to thoughtlessness, or outright maliciousness. It just seems to be the way my life works.

I want jellybeans.  

Here’s me other latest pet peeve:  It seems like any time I post about being lonely or wanting something I don’t have, someone has to say, “oh what about your daughter???” *she says in a mocking voice* Look: I’m allowed to be sad and lonely without people who are supposed to me by “FRIENDS” treating me like I don’t appreciate or care about my daughter. I love my daughter.  I spend every waking and sleeping moment that I have available feeding, entertaining, and caring for my daughter (except when her father has her for the weekend).  She gets food, attention, love, play, cuddles, tickles, and has more than most kids her age as far as toys and technology.  She is not neglected, and my relationship with her is not lacking. She is a well-behaved, intelligent, compassionate child who loves her Mama.  She is the light in my life, and some days she is the only reason I’m still breathing.  She is smiles and rainbows and everything that is good in this world.

So it might make me a bitch, but I don’t care, and I’m going to say it: if you’re not smart enough to understand the difference between being literally alone and being romantically/sexually lonely, get off my Tumblr/TikTok/Facebook timeline.  No, I’m serious.  I feel like some of you are saying to me “well, you may not have a mansion, but at least you’re double-jointed in your thumbs.”  No, Bitch, how are those things supposed to supplement each other?  They are not the same thing at all.  Think of it like a children’s toy, a bench with round holes and triangular holes, and all I get to go with the bench is square blocks. Then, you come over and you say, “well, at least you have blocks.”  Okay, yes. Yes, I have blocks.  And I can stack them, and build things with them, and play with them in a dozen other ways, but no matter what I do, they will not go into the round or triangular holes in the bench, which leaves me with one type of toy that I can play with, but it’s not going to help me finish the bench puzzle.

“Well at least…”  No.  Stop. I get what you’re trying to do: I should be grateful for what I have, okay, I get where you’re coming from.  But it’s time for me to put my foot down concerning toxic positivity.  Yes.  I have stuff.  I have stuff, and I have things, and I have white privilege, and I’m warm and dry and safe.  Okay. I got it.  But you are the same people telling me that I need to ask for more in a romantic relationship, telling me that the bare minimum is not enough, so stop telling me to be grateful for having what I have in response to wanting more than what I have.  Being grateful is a wonderful, beautiful thing to a point.  We all need to breathe and be happy sometimes. What some of you need to understand, though, is that being told to shut up and be happy with what you got is how the government, the elite, the rich, and anyone else with more perceived power than we have is keeping us docile and enslaved.  We are powerful, radiant creatures of creativity and jubilance, and we need to be not just asking for the things that we want beyond the bare minimum for survival but demanding them.  Manifesting them.  We need to be empowering ourselves to reach out of the pit of struggle and oppression.

Now I know “the government” isn’t the reason I don’t have a healthy relationship, but I’m trying to draw a parallel here, and if you’re not understanding that, maybe you should pick up a book once in a while.  I’m tired of having my words and my actions picked apart when what I’m trying to say to you is exactly what I’m saying to you and giving a similar example doesn’t mean I have no idea what I’m talking about.  It means I’m trying to dumb it down for you, and in some cases, it’s still going over your head.  What I’m saying is that if the bare minimum isn’t acceptable in one situation, it’s not acceptable in any situation.  

Thank you for coming to my fucking Ted Talk.

-Kaya

#rant #ranting #ranting and raving #thank you for coming to my ted talk #gratitude #toxic positivity #human nature #empowerment #opression #manifestation #thoughtfulness #inconsiderate assholes #snow #snow day #angry #metaphors #i hate stupid people #things I want #jellybeans #writing until i feel better #write it all out #enough #enough is enough #this is what happens when i don't take my meds

[wonderlandleighleigh]

absolutely starstruck with your commentary about how freeing troopers from the FO should have been the driving force behind the plot of the sequels because...YES. that’s the plot we (and the cast, and the new sequel characters, and the telling of stories of color in sci-fi & fantasy—) deserved. I’m still processing how perfect the premise is—and how much more sense it makes, narrative-wise. wow wow wow

It’s a really simple plot. 

They set it up from jump.

And you can still explore Rey Kylo. You can still look for Luke or whatever (don’t get me started. They trashed his character. In what way did Luke Skywalker’s original story arc set him up to try and murder his own nephew for being prone to the dark side instead of talking to him? He looked Palpatine in the eyes and threw away his own lightsaber in favor of love. Luke Skywalker is the Sailor Moon of Star Wars. Fuck’s sake.)

But you can still explore Rey’s Force journey. You can still...do...whatever...with Kylo (I am not a fan. I get that people are into angry trash princes, he’s just not my flavor of trash prince. If you search “Anakin Skywalker” on my blog, you’ll find out very quickly which brand of trash prince is my preferred one).

But you could have done it with a main, overarching plot that involved taking the First Order down by radicalizing its kidnapped members, and using a reformed, runaway Storm Trooper to do so. It’s not a hard concept. A talented script writer could probably work that shit up in their sleep. 

That’s the thing about Star Wars. The main plot doesn’t HAVE to be complicated. The simpler the better, so you can do a deep dive into the big ideas BEHIND the main plot (good vs evil, nature vs nurture, etc), which is what Star Wars has always been good at.

I dunno. I love Star Wars. I had a lot of sad feelings about the sequel trilogy. I feel like if I can sit in my pajama pants on my lil couch with only my cats to hear me rant and rave about these things, and think of a compelling main plot, so could the people being paid more money than I’ll ever have to do so.

But thank you for coming to my ted talk. <3  

#Leigh Thinks about Star Wars #Anonymous

[meetmeinthematinee]

Anything But Red: Serve and Service Part 2  John Wick x Fem!Reader

A/N: A ridiculously long time ago I got a request from @cynic-spirit​ for a pt 2 to Serve and Service. I hope that you enjoy this long, long, long awaited story even though I did change things a teeny bit from your request. 

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, a guy too forward on hitting on someone, mild swears? Do I need to warn for fluff? It’s just fluff mostly. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shit.” You muttered as you leaned forward and pressed your fingers into your forehead.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what again, John?”

“Your super worried but suffer in silence thing.” John said as he gently pulled you back against the chair and worked his fingers into the tense muscles of your shoulders. You relaxed into his touch and let out a sigh.

“I thought that was YOUR thing.”

“Suppose so. It’s your thing too.” John said pointedly.

His hands stilled their soothing motions and you finally relented. 

“The barback just quit. Without notice.”

“Steve?” 

“Mmhmm. I don’t even know what we’re going to do. It's Saturday for fucks sake. I mean--I…”

“You mean you wish you had a really strong guy that takes direction well and can work tonight?” John said as he resumed working each and every knot out of your shoulders. 

“Exactly. Wait. What?”

“I’m saying I’m happy to help out in the restaurant tonight.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. 

-------------------------------------------

John wiped the bar down. The cloth slid along the polished wood surface in his large hand. It was hard to not get caught up in watching him move. The way his rolled up shirt sleeves allowed you to see his forearms flexing as he lifted the trays of clean glasses. The way his shirt drew tight across his muscled back as he slid the wine glasses into the rack above the bar. The bulge of his biceps as he heaved the beer kegs into place. Your attention was always split twenty different ways when you were in the restaurant but your eyes were always drawn back to him tonight.

In the turnover between the 2nd and 3rd seatings of the night you had time to check in with him out in the alley where he’d asked you out all those years ago. “I think you might be the best barback we’ve ever had.” 

“It’s because I want to impress the boss.”

“Oh--she’s impressed. And grateful. Very grateful.” You said as you worked your hands into his back pockets. 

He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. John never knew what to do with your compliments but that never stopped you from giving them freely. 

He leaned down and kissed you. Capturing your lower lip softly between his teeth and humming lowly before letting you go again.

“Alright. We better get back in there.”

“Yes, chef!” He answered as he held the door open for you.

You made your way through the buzzing dining room, stopping at a few tables to say hello to some familiar faces before you checked in with your front of house staff. This time of the evening was your favourite. The worst of the rush was behind you and on a good night the kitchen had settled into a comfortable rhythm. After the host ran over the state of the bookings with you you migrated over to the bar. 

“How’s working the bar with John?” You asked Janice. You always could trust her judgement -- she’d been less than thrilled with the work ethic of your last barback and had said as much -- but before you even had a chance to let him go he’d quit on you.

“I’m not just saying this because you’re married to him -- I’d be overjoyed if you could find someone who works like he does.” She said with a wide smile. 

“That’s a tall order.” You replied. “But I found you--so I think it’s doable. I’m hoping he’s ok with filling in until I find someone.”

You both looked down to the other end of the bar where John was busily prepping lemons and limes for garnish. 

“Looks like he might be ok with that.” Janice said before she got back to work making the next round of orders for a table. 

You were making your way back to the kitchen when someone got your attention. 

“‘Scuse me -- you’re the chef here right?” A blond middle aged man said, grabbing you by the wrist as you made your way past him at the bar. You steeled yourself for what you knew was coming and smiled politely at him while gently attempting to pull out of his grasp. “Yes, this is my restaurant.” 

“You should let go of her buddy.” John said without looking up from where he was slicing citrus across from the man.

“Oh, yeah sorry.” He said as he dropped his hand from your wrist. 

“He’s a bit rude, hmm? Anyway.” You semi-tuned out the man in front of you and your eyes kept drifting over to John. 

“I wouldn’t say he’s rude. He’s new. A great hire I think.”

“A woman like you doesn’t need to have someone speak on your behalf.”

You smiled cooly. “I don’t think that was his intent.”

“Anyways, I was going to say a gorgeous woman like you should have a night off once in a while. I’d like to help you unwind sometime.”

You inwardly cringed. Thinking and there it is to yourself. This happened every once in a while and you always hated it.

“Usually I save my time off for my husband.”

“I don’t see a ring.” The man answered, his ruddy face showing exactly how many glasses of wine he’d had. 

You glanced again at John and his mouth was drawn into a tight line, one palm planted firmly on the burnished wood of the bar. 

“I’m a chef. I don’t wear it when I’m working. Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Aside from you?” 

You rolled your eyes. “Yes, aside from me.”

“Maybe another glass of red.”

“One red.” You called to Janice and she grimaced when she saw who you were pointing at. 

“Enjoy the rest of your night. I have to go.” You said as you walked away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, mouthy.”

“Excuse me?” John said.

“Is she really married? I feel like that’s a line. She seemed really into me.”

“You think so?” 

“Definitely.” The man said before he took a big swig of his wine. 

“Then you should go for it. I mean, I’m new here--I don’t know much about her personal life. Give it a shot.” John said as he ignored the laugh coming from behind him. 

“Why’s she laughing?” The blond asked about Janice who was pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. Trying and failing to suppress her laughter.

“Beats me. Women, you know?” John said with a shrug.

“Fair enough.” 

“Do you want me to ask her to come back? Any man would be lucky to be with her. Happy to help a guy out.”

“You’d do that?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

John headed back toward the kitchen. A wicked grin on his face as soon as his back was turned to the semi-drunk louse.

He came back with a folded napkin and set it down on the bar in front of the man. 

“What’s it say?”

“I don’t read things not meant for me.”

“Huh. You know, you’re not a bad guy. Sorry I called you rude earlier.”

“Don’t mention it.” John said as he went back to putting away glasses. 

“Looks like I was right! See ya later!” 

“Later.” 

Janice never brought up what happened to the man for the rest of the night. They were hit by a sudden rush of customers and everyone was too busy to wonder about where that awful man had gone to. 

You came out for one last round of checking in on customers and stopped at the bar when you saw the creepy man from before was gone. “Uh, thank god that guy’s gone. He was way too handsy and way too creepy.” You said to Janice--who suddenly broke into laughter.

Your host came through on their way to leave for the night. 

“Are you talking about that weird blond man?” They asked.

“Yeah -- he was hitting on Chef here right in front of John.”

“Oh. OH! That makes so much sense now. That dude came back and tried to get in again and he was ranting and raving about being tricked and falling into the alleyway. He just seemed really drunk so I refused him entry.”

All eyes turned to John who was quietly wiping down the bar. 

“John?” You asked cautiously.

“Hmm?”

“Did you toss that man into the alley?”

“No. But I did write a note that suggested you’d be waiting for him through the door by the washroom....”

Janice slapped John on the arm. “YOU DIDN’T! I wouldn’t have pegged you as the jealous type.” 

“Listen, I’m not going to let some creep stay here and bother everyone, let alone my wife. I heard the way he was bothering you all night and then he escalated things to getting handsy. I didn’t want there to be a big scene. I just…...helped him out the door a little.”

“Well, next time maybe just let me know when you’re going to help someone out the back door again so I don’t bear the brunt of that messiness, John.” The host said with an exasperated but amused sigh. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon it was just you and John. He was straightening up the bar, making sure everything was clean and ready to go for tomorrow. You fished around in your pocket, frantically as always, before your fingers closed on the familiar smooth, cool metal. You carefully slid the ring back onto your finger. 

“Do you want a drink before we head upstairs?” John asked with a gentle grin. His eyes scanned down and caught the way the light glinted off your wedding band. He never tired of seeing that on you. The sign that you were a matched set. 

You shook your head. “Nah, I’d rather head upstairs and unwind with something on the couch with you.”

“What do you want to drink?” He asked as he guided you to the exit with his hand on your lower back.

“I think….anything but red.”

------------------------------------xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-------------------------------

Thanks for reading!

Next up I have a Bill & Ted fic on the burner and I have another long, long, long ago request I’m chipping away at. My requests are closed so even though it’s incredibly flattering to be asked to write something I’m not able to take on any right now. 

I’m also forgoing the whole taglist thing now -- not because I don’t love you my ever generous and kind readers--but because they don’t even work half the time. 

Hope that you’re all holding up as ok as you can be during this incredibly bonkers time. 

xoxo

#john wick x female reader #john wick fluff #john wick fan fiction #john wick fanfic

[wildpawed-moved]

*scars by papa roach plays dramatically in the background* one thing I have never been ( and honestly never will be, so you can jot that down ) subtle about is my love for this character of mine. I love all my kids, lbr here, but Seb??? I feel he’s my most developed and also the most interesting because of his complexity and background and I also love that his three fcs are all have p much the same name ( Kris - main, Christopher - teen pre-Addie’s death, Christian - post-Addie’s death ) and they’re super perfect to represent him in these crucial parts in his life and I really could rant and rave about my love of this kid for fucking years, so thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Sebastian Matthews Love hour is a 24/7 kind of event, so I’m living it now tbh.

random muse edits ??? / ???

#☾; sebastian matthews / imagery #☾; mine

[emeraldgalaxies]

All these anti-naegiri posts lately are ridiculous - what does it matter that Naegi didn’t love Kirigiri pre-killing game? What does it matter that he fell for Kirigiri after Maizono’s death? So what? Is he supposed to live the rest of his life alone, loving a ghost? Especially considering their circumstances once they’re free from the killing game. Kirigiri becomes his love interest in DR1 after Maizono’s death - naegiri is canon, after all let’s not forget about DR3. People can ship whatever the hell they want and if people are going to continue to rant and rave about why naegiri *isn’t* canon, than can they at least properly tag their hate with slashes through “nae////giri” so people who do ship it, don’t have to see hate? Lest you forget tumblr’s tagging system is useless and even if something is tagged “anti naegiri” surprise surprise, it’ll still show up in the ship tag. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#danganronpa #naegiri #im so sick of this #WHO CARES #THAT NAEGI LOVED SOMEONE BEFORE HE LOVED KIRIGIRI #HE LOVES HER NOW #godddddddd #this is getting ridiculous and im so tired of it #dr1 came out 8 freaking years ago GET OVER IT #dr3 has been out for 2 years now #leave naegiri alone with this business

[serpentfamily]

I think 300 people are lost in their search for quality and instead stumbled across this trash heap. Oh shit, how do I tell people I’m not actually quality?

But anyways, thank you so much to the people that have helped me make it this far. Seriously, life can be hard and every one of you helps create a spark in some sort of way. I could include all of you but that would take way too much time so I’ll just settle for this little list of people and if I forgot you, I swear it was an accident!

@fuckboiandrews: one of the very first people I started speaking to when I first made this blog, she’s one of the few originals of the group left. I absolutely adore Hail and there’s a reason she’s my ship exclusive. Such great writing and a mun that’s there when I need her, even if it’s just to shoot the shit. I think a lot of the issues I’ve had with this blog would’ve been harder if I hadn’t had you around. One of the best people I know on here and definitely one of the closest people I’ve met on here. (also I s2g I’m not drunk while writing this even though I’m not normally the sappy type).

@fifityshadesofplaid: I think we met on Jughead first? I could be wrong but you are just amazing and I squeal when you come back from a hiatus. A busy bee you may be but I still adore you and I love our dynamics. We can go from Stiles and Jughead bitching at one another to the most angsty shit ever on Lydia and I just don’t know how you put up with me.

@yourpaljughead: we don’t really write together on here but we’re still mutuals and you were like the first Jughead I ever interacted with, even though it was a short lived scene with Jughead storming off. I eventually went on to make my own Jughead and even though it confuses people, it just makes me adore you all the more. What can I say? I love creating a little chaos. But you’re such a sweet mun and a terrific writer and I’m in awe.

@southsidelover: someone I met from the other V, I adore our plots and threads and just talking to you which is a somewhat daily thing now. Even though you don’t see alcohol as food (so rude too), I appreciate you and love having you as one of my writing partners. I just want to cuddle and squish you and give you every ounce of love that even Toni deserves because goddamn she’s perfect. 

@ragingtiide: FUCK ME UP, SON. Between the somewhat angsty Lydia and Barry and Jughead ready to fucking deck Percy and even Harm ready to fuck Barry up, I love our threads together and I still don’t know how you put up with my trash. Maybe because we’re both sadistic fucks when it comes to our characters but it’s just another reason I adore you and the few chances we get to rave and rant together.

@bubblegumxveil: Serpent Betty ftw. Someone who gets me and is in no rush to thrust her Betty onto Jughead and someone who I can plot and squeal with. I’ve all but given up on Bughead at this point but I adore our semi-Bughead thread even when they’re about ready to fight and one of them is an outright disaster. Seriously, someone just smack these two trouble children before someone gets hurt. Even though YOU SHOULD BE PACKING RIGHT NOW, you’re here on this list and my main Betty now get your shit done.

@creativechaos: I never knew I needed Scott and Jughead before but even though our threads consist of Jughead wanting to rip Scott’s head off, I love every minute of it. We don’t talk that much right now (that’s totally my fault wtf) but always come scream about our sons to me.

SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS: The people who I adore anyways even though we don’t interact much or I just admire from afar and I can guarantee that’s because I’m easily terrified of people and tend to just hide under my TARDIS blanket with my plushie Dalek. His name is Ted, btw.

@tryingmother/ @tvllboy | @rxvenhairedprincess | @lodgebitten | @steeledwill | @mattalips | @brassloyalty | @valeureux | @thcblackhood | @teenagecasanova | @socialhandmaid | @reggle | @ghettoserpent | @crowneddarko | @ofcatears | @teencgewitch | @sweetndwit | @seesgood | @queensconquered | @fixedself | @mapleblood

#▒ | out of burgers : ooc #bias list

[theartificialdane]

Galactica, part 244

In this Raja comforts her princess, Courtney has to answer to the judge, Sutan has a plan, Juju serves dinner, Violet’s memory is refreshed and Bianca tries to lay down the law

Thank you @samrull @toriibelledarling @veronicasanders <3

“Leave me alone”

“Princess, come on.” Raja ran her hand up Raven’s leg. “Don’t be sad.”

“I’m not sad, I’m devastated.”

Raja couldn’t help but smile a little. Raven was adorable, her fiancée lying on the couch, her arms crossed. There were black streaks down Raven’s face, her mascara a mess since she had cried so much, even though Raja knew she would most likely deny it to the day she died.

Raja had arrived to her building along with Bianca and Sutan, Bianca thankfully finding Courtney safe and sound and leaving right away. Sutan had gone with Raja upstairs, but Raven had taken one look at him before she had started shouting abuse, slamming the door in his face, even though she did tell him that Violet was downstairs.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

The camera crew had been so quick to get out that there were still cords on the floor, the spa personal abandoning their things as well in their haste to get out.

“Didn’t you listen to me, Raja?” Raven sat up, clearly annoyed at the lack of her fiance's understanding. “This is the worst day of my life!” Raven threw out her arms, pointing at the abandoned apartment. “This was suppose to be all about me, me and me alone, and then those fucking housewife bitches stole my spotlight!”

Raja reached out, not yet decided if she should spank her fiancée for her obvious temper tantrum, or comfort her while she freaked out, but then Raven started crying again.

“I didn’t even get to taste the cake…” and Raja’s heart melted. She knew Raven had been excited about the cake, the four tier chocolate, raspberry and french vanilla frosting monstrosity Raven had ordered weeks in advance. Raja gently grabbed Raven had pulled her into her lap, the other woman barely allowing Raja to hold her close, and Raja vowed to make Courtney pay for ever getting involved with the Housewife project. Raja didn’t care about a lot of things, but she cared about Raven.

“I’m sorry your night was ruined.” Raja pressed a kiss against Raven’s cheek.

“It wasn’t ruined, it was sabotaged.” Raven huffed, barely leaning into her fiancées kiss.

“Can it be fixed with cake?” Raja knew it wasn’t a good idea to let Raven have the cake, since the wedding and christmas was coming up, but she wanted to cheer Raven up, and nothing made Raven happier than indulging in sweet chocolate goodness.

“.. Yes.”

Raja smiled as she felt Raven deflate and go limp in her lap, before she moved the younger woman off her again to rise to her feet. "Let me get you a piece baby girl." Raja said softly before walking into the kitchen. Raven sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, pulling her knees up to her chin. She tried to straighten up what she could before Raja returned home, but it was still a mess. The Russian didn't even want to think about the massive red wine stain that was now soaked into the carpet, Naima getting in a straight up fight on camera. "Here you go my darling," Raja announced as she came back into the living room with a plate in her hand and a smile. Raven watched her fiancée waltz back into her destroyed living room looking like the beacon of serenity that Raven was so desperate for. "Thank you..." Raven said with a sniff and watery smile as Raja sat back down on the couch beside her. Raja chuckled as Raven curled back up in her lap. “Anything for you my love.”

Raven smiled as Raja scooped up a small dollop of pale white icing on her fingertip, before sucking the digit for a moment before making a face. "Here. You'll definitely enjoy this," the elder woman said with a slight grimace. "Too damn sweet." "Just like me," Raven said with a singsong voice. Raja mashed some of the cake and icing together before pinching it together to feed Raven, who eagerly opened her mouth. "I don't understand how you can tolerate this," Raja mumbled, as she continues to feed Raven little morsels of mashed cake. Raja hated sweets in general, one of the reasons why she stayed so thin. Raven smiled up at Raja who chewed thoughtfully on a chocolate dipped strawberry she managed to save. "It's like heaven covered in a delightful layer of white chocolate buttercream." Raja gave Raven an incredulous look look before offering her cake covered fingers to Raven again. "So tell me again, why are you calling your bachelorette party an epic disaster." Raven groaned, not wanting to ruin the first bit of peace she had gained since the big blowout, "Do we really have to talk about a series of unfortunate events right now?" "Considering it was a series of unfortunate events that destroyed my carpet and splashed on my walls," Raja drawled out. “Did you forget all of the texts and videos you uploaded to Snapchat? Ranting and crying is not a cute look.” "I was hoping you'd overlook that in favor of feeding me cake and letting me wallow in my own misery." Raven replied with a deep sigh as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Now princess," Raja began easily, "when has there ever been a time where I simply let you off the hook?" Raven narrowed her eyes and began a staring match with Raja, who simply smiled and stared her down. "I'm not going to do what you want.” Raja but her tongue to keep from laughing at Raven; she could never win a staring contest against her, and it wasn't going to start tonight. "You say that now, but if I put you over my knee you will sing a different tune. Now, tell me what happened." Raven finally looked away with a huff, "Those drunk and ungrateful bitches ruined my party and our decor. They wasted money and those old whores didn't even thank me for the opportunity to come to my event!" Raven finished, getting riled up again. "Oh?" Raja questioned, curious to know more. "Did the baroness, countess or whatever the fuck she calls herself, at least bring your a hostess gift?" "None of those old drunks got me shit!" Raven yelled, jumping out of Raja's grasp to begin pacing; her cake all but forgotten. "Not even a bloody card from the bodega at the corner!” "Ah.” Raja concluded with a nod. "Yes!" Raven yelled, getting pink in the face. "My event was going smoothly even with the surprise strippers," she continued. "Surprise strippers?" "It was a surprise and they were strippers," Raven replied with a careless wave of her hand. "The goddam city drunk of New York with her goddamn wine, and those other decrepit bimbos whose only claim to fame is their divorce rates, and the fact that they get new faces every year, fucked it up!" Raja couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped as she watched Raven, rant, rave and pace on the once pristine white carpet; pulling at her hair with one hand and gesturing wildly with the other. "I was doing this as a favor to Courtney," Raven continued, "because I don't want her to think that I'd leave her out to dry with those skanks; but fuck this shit. Fuck this, fuck that, fuck her and fuck those classless heathens!" "What did Courtney do?" Raja asked, because the last time she saw the younger woman, she was talking about systematic racism on Adore’s snapchat, Bianca looking like a woman who saw her cat get run over in slow motion. "Did her drunken TED Talk on racism become too much?" "She didn't do anything besides bringing those devils rejects into my home destroying everything!" Raven replied, stomping her foot angrily, "Urgh!” Raven sat down. “And I can't even be angry at the bitch because she's too drunk to realize what happened!" "So just to be clear," Raja began, "Courtney Act from New York, by way of Australia, is still in your good graces?" Raja reached out and ran her hand down Raven’s arm, wondering if there was any way she could stuff Raven with even more cake. "She's in my good graces by default of her being too drunk.” Raven signed and deflated. “But believe me, I’m hiring Patrick and sueing.”

"Well if that will help you feel better about the situation," Raja began, standing up and taking her phone out. Raja didn’t really care about the damages since she could just pay, and since Raven had signed the contract with Bravo, she would most likely loose, but if it made her fiance feel better, Raja didn’t mind paying for it. "I'll get some pictures for the insurance agency, just in case Patrick says you're being extreme." Raja reached down to take the plate of cake, but Raven reached out and grabbed Raja’s wrist, stopping the other woman.

“Can we take it to bed?”

“Of course.” Raja smiled, giving her fiance a soft kiss. “But get showered first my love. You smell like Pinot Grigio and olives.”

***

Bianca ended up beating Courtney home, and was pacing around the living room trying to call her when the front door banged open. She stood with her heels in her hand and a smirk on her face. “Helloooooooo…” she sang, holding up her phone. “You can hand up, I’m here.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Still drunk, huh?”

“Adore said you’re mad. Why are you mad?!” Courtney walked through the room, shedding her clothes, and sprawled out on the sofa, batting her lashes.

“I’m not /mad/, I’m just...you didn’t call me all night, I was worried, and--what are you doing?”

Courtney had pulled Bianca onto to the sofa and was slowly opening the buttons on her top. “I’m sorry, B...I didn’t mean to worry you.” She pressed a soft kiss to her jaw.

“Well, yeah, I mean, then then I hear there was some fucking housewives altercation, and then you’re on Instagram ranting like a lunatic about stripper cops and black lives matter! Not to mention the Housewives cameras that are--”

“Mmmm…” Courtney slid her hands inside Bianca’s skirt, climbing into her lap.

Bianca looked up at her. “You’re a public figure. You have a reputation. It’s really irresponsible to just--”

“You’re right…” Courtney bit her lip, trailing her fingers over Bianca’s bare skin. “Totally irresponsible...”

Bianca narrowed her eyes. “You know, you think you’re really clever right now, but I’m onto you. I invented this move.”

“What move?” Courtney asked innocently, threading her hands into Bianca’s hair, arching against her.

“Don’t play coy with me, I’m giving you good advice here. You should really listen.”

“I’m totally, totally listening,” Courtney murmured against her skin, sucking on her pulse point, rolling her hips.

“Fuck,” Bianca groaned, fingers digging into her waist. “This is really condescending, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know.” Courtney pulled her head up to stare challengingly at her. After a beat, she giggled. “But is it working?”

Bianca tried to glare at her, but soon broke down, dimples showing. “It’s really shitty of you to use my own tricks against me.”

“I know, I’m soooo terrible…” Courtney teased, pulling her close for a deep kiss.

***

“Wow Shane, these cookies are amazing!” Trixie smiled brightly as he grabbed another one. It was slowly nearing christmas break, and for once the entirety of the christmas collection had went well. Alyssa had done a great job with the marketing strategy for the year, their clothes ripped out of the department stores they worked with, while their own boutiques could barely keep up with the demand. The shoot with Naomi for the makeup department had gone viral, Naomi’s innocent sluttiness selling like crazy and even though Trixie knew from Kim's ramble at taco tuesday that Alaska had been more than drunk, it had apparently worked great.

“Thanks! It’s a new recipe!” Shane locked his computer, more than ready to talk about cooking with the only other person in the office that cared about food, when he saw the box he had put the cookies into. “... Trixie, did you eat all of these?”

“No.”

“You have powdered sugar around your mouth.”

***

“You’re late.”

“I know, I’m sorr-”

“Sssh.”

Mimi ushered Tati into Sutan’s office where he sat behind the desk, not looking like he was really waiting all that much. Tatianna was only about five minutes late, her pedicure not drying fast enough for her to leave. Violet had done a great job with her nails, but she couldn’t wear anything that was less than perfect out for work. Tatianna rolled her eyes and closed the door in Mimi’s face, not giving the assistant the chance to eavesdrop on her and her bosses conversation.

Tatianna had no idea why, but Mimi was always being bitchy with her, like the old woman would /die/ if she was nice to anyone, a character trait Allison had confirmed more than once. Allison and Tatianna had somehow escaped the wrath Celia, Jaslene and Naima had suffered from the hands of their manager, Sutan taking a 5% pay cut from each of the girls for the month as a punishment for their foolish behavior at the party.

Tatianna looked around the office and the dark furniture, Sutan unusually distracted by something on the computer. Tatianna sat down in one of the plush armchairs, Sutan somehow still ignoring her so she started drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair awkwardly while she waited, until she finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“So… How are you today?”

“What sounds better to you for a weekend getaway...St Bart’s, Key West, or Cancun?” Sutan didn’t even look at her, his voice low as he muttered to himself. “Or maybe somewhere with snow? Even though the weather is dreadful outside…”

“Oh, uh...well,” Tati tossed some hair over her shoulder, kinda confused by the fact that her boss had just invited her on vacation, a smile on her lips. “I mean, I’m flattered, Sutan, but I really don’t think--”

Sutan looked up with alarm. “No! Oh god, I didn’t mean--” He then saw her smirking face and his expression softened with laughter. “Good one, kid. You almost had me there.” Sutan pushed his glasses up into his hair, his full attention finally on Tatianna as he gently closed his laptop.

“So what are you planning?” Tati grinned. “Taking your secret mistress away on a romantic vacation?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Sutan rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “No, I’m not taking my secret mistress.”

“So you have one?”

“I’m going with Violet.” Tatianna was sure Sutan would have kicked her if he could, the man such an uncle. “We’ve both been working a lot, we’ve barely seen each other lately, just the two of us spending time together.”

Tatianna smiled apologetically, knowing that at least a part of it was the hours upon hours upon hours Sutan put into her career and pushing her for the upcoming holiday collections, which had succeeded greatly. If she was lucky she would be allowed to go to Europe in February, and there was nothing she wanted more.

“I guess we need some of that... Proper quality time. The stuff that couples do.”

Tatianna nodded, not really knowing what her boss meant since she had never had a boyfriend she really truly cared about. It felt a little weird to talk about this with her boss, but Tatianna was nothing if not opinionated, and Violet was nice enough, even if she was weird, so Tatianna wanted to help.

“I think I’d go for somewhere warm, and it should be somewhere really chill and relaxing. If Galactica is anything how Courtney described it, she’ll need some time off.”

“I don’t think you’re too far off, but don’t tell anyone I said that.” Sutan opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, the man looking shortly to Tatianna who just smiled, telling him she didn’t mind if he lit up. “I’m pretty sure my sister would castrate me if she didn’t think I was drinking the kool aid.” Sutan stood up, the lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, the man pulling out a big, black, thick book that Tatianna immediately recognised as her portfolio.

“Okay my girl, enough talk about my personal life! Let’s look at these new pictures. Your portfolio is going to be a goddamn masterpiece when we’re through today.”

“Yes sir!”

***

Violet took a bite of her cupcake, the sweet cream cheese frosting delicious. Frida whined, the pug looking up at her mom with big eyes, the dog almost jumping up on Violet’s chair. “Frida! No” Violet laughed and picked the dog up, putting Frida back on the floor of the cafe. “Here. You can have this.” Violet carefully picked the small piece of real carrot off the top of her cake, drying it on her napkin before she gave it to Frida, Frida happily eating the orange treat. “See, that’s yummy too.” Violet smiled before she went back to her sketchbook.

Violet and Frida were at a cafe, the city outside dark and grey, but Violet didn’t mind it much, because she could still watch the people that walked by. Violet picked her phone up, ready to turn on her music again and get back to drawing when she felt someone walk up to her table.

“Well, well, well…”

Violet looked up at the man standing in front of her, compact with dark olive skin, with black frame glasses, one hand on his hip.

“I must say...I’ve been snubbed before, but never by a girl. And you dare to show your face in my coffee shop?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware-”

The man broke out into laughter, dimples deep in his cheeks. “Gurl, I’m just fucking with you. How are you?”

“I’m well…” Violet bit her lip. She had no idea who the man in front of her was. Was he someone who worked with Sutan? Was it someone Fame had introduced her to when she was still an assistant?

“Roy. Roy Haylock...we met on Halloween? You don’t remember?”

“You’re Roy Haylock?” Violet remembered the card that she had thrown out. Was this the man who had given it to her? But why?

“Damn, you seemed a little tipsy, but not blackout drunk. It’s always the quiet ones you gotta look out for...”

“I’m sorry.” Violet laughed, still feeling a little shy and weird. She could almost remember the man in front of her now that they were talking.

“All good, baby girl.” Roy sat down at Violet’s table. “So what have you been up to? Designed any other epic masterpieces that can’t fit through doorways?” Roy grinned and looked at Violet’s sketchbook, the holiday sketches all there.

“I did a mini collection for Marie Claire with a coworker.” Violet smiled, feeling more and more comfortable with Roy.

“Oh, I saw that. It was cute!” Roy lowered his voice conspiratorially. “My friend Jinkx is in some kind of lesbian mafia with the editor of that magazine.”

Violet pressed her lips together.

“Well, anyway, we’re working on some fantastic projects now. If you’re still interested on doing some consulting, maybe we can talk again. Like, after the holidays? I can give you a card again, if you promise to actually call this time.”

“Sure.” Violet nodded, but then she had an idea. “Actually.. I might be able to do better than that. Are you free on the 18th?”

Roy opened the calendar on his. “Uhhh, maybe...why?”

“Galactica is having a big holiday gala, and I could put you on the guest list, if you want.” Violet smiled. “You can meet the lesbian mafia?”

“Just me, or can I bring a guest? If you help me get laid, I might forgive you for forgetting me the first time around.”

“Give me your card, and I’ll get you a ticket. I promise.”

***

“Guuuurl! Omigod, thank you so much for meeting me!” Adore exclaimed, pulling Aja in for a big hug.

“Thank you for dragging your ass all the way to an outer borough to slum it with a street rat,” Aja laughed, the infectious cackle that Adore had missed over her last few months.

“Come on, we’re in Queens, not Newark,” Adore giggled. “And anyway, I really do appreciate you making time for me. I know how busy you are.”

Aja cackled again. “True. Well, when I heard you were ditching those loser boys you’ve been carrying on your back for years and ready for a real band, making a real statement, I cleared my whole day, gurl.” Aja slapped the table, pulling out a fat notebook.

Adore made a kissy face at her. “Mwah! Thank you baby. So. Ready to get down to business?”

“Yes! Alright, I think we should have some open auditions, although I have a feeling that I know a girl who would be a great drummer already. She’s a little dark and moody and like...I dunno, you have to meet her, but I think she’d work. She’d super creative.”

“Awesome! When can we meet? And can we do the auditions here? Is the manager still that crazy woman who grabs everyone’s ass.”

“Yes, Miss Cucu is alive and well. And sure, I’ll call her. So we’re basically looking for a bass player, a drummer - hopefully Nina works out, so maybe let’s hold off on auditioning drummers, right? And maybe a fifth girl? What do you think about a fifth girl?”

“I think that might be cool. I know this really awesome DJ who I’ve collaborated with, I was gonna talk to her.” Adore smiled, wondering if they’d get along. Time would tell.

“Okay, so auditions are really just for a kickass bass player who can sing and hopefully write some bitchin songs. Have you thought about names for the band?”

Adore grinned. “Really? Of course, dude.”

“Well...hit me.”

“We’re a lesbian punk indie metal band. So….”

“Yes?”

“Femslash.”

Aja screamed in delight, clapping her hands. “Yes! No debate. Approved!”

***

“Honey, I know you love Courtney, but you need to let her breathe…” Juju gently pried Julia away from Courtney’s face, helping the blonde off the floor where the twins had been climbing all over her. “And it’s time for dinner.”

Julia wrapped her arms around Courtney’s leg. “I wanna sit next to her.”

“I’m sorry. She’s going through a really needy stage,” Juju explained.

Kelly smirked from the stairs, where she was snapchatting. “Looks like Bianca has some competition…You worried, B?”

“Terrified.”

“You know what’s funny? They have the same age difference as you two.” Kelly fluttered her lashes.

Courtney burst out laughing, carrying Julia over to the dining room. Bianca shot her a nasty look. “What? She’s right; it’s funny.”

Everyone settled into their seats and began to dish out the food. Detox picked up a bowl of carrots and joked, “Oh, look, our next president.”

Juju groaned, “Ugggh, don’t even /say/ that!”

“Do you really think he could win?” Courtney whimpered.

Bianca rolled her eyes. “He’s not gonna win, you guys are so fucking dramatic.”

“I don’t know,” Courtney replied, with big worried eyes, “I was at a gig in South Carolina last week, and there were Trump signs everywhere, and isn’t that one of the earliest primaries…?”

“Seriously?” Kelly asked.

“Yes! Also, did you read that article about how he’s using this like, coded language to signal white supremacists?”

“Oh my god…” Bianca shook her head and polished off her wine.

“/What/?” Courtney asked testily.

“You are spouting crazy left wing nonsense right now, and given what happened at the party on Saturday, you should really probably keep your mouth shut about politics for awhile. Especially in public.”

Courtney looked at Bianca for a long moment, unblinking. Her blood was boiling, hands balled into fists under the table. She swallowed.

Jujubee looked from one to the other, then glanced at Detox, clearing her throat. “Hey, did you guys try the pesto? It’s Detox’s mom’s recipe. And yes, I left the cheese on the side for the vegans.”

Courtney broke eye contact with Bianca, plastering a smile on her face and taking the offered pasta. “Thank you, looks delicious.”

“So, do you guys have anything fun planned for the holidays…?”

#galactica #au aag verse #rpdr fanfiction #my fics