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racinginchid3nt · 9 months

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I’d Probably Still Adore You | Part Seven

Y/N x Lance Stroll, Y/N Best Friend x Pierre

Gasly

In which a night at the club and a game of never have I ever turns into something new

Inspired by 505 - Arctic Monkeys

Warnings: none

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Pierre had whisked Y/N Best Friend away to Portugal for the summer break. Your weeks had passed in relative normalcy, work, friends, home, sleep. It wasn’t until you got a knock on your door from Y/N Best Friend that things changed.

“What’s up? I didn’t know you were back in town?” You exclaimed while opening the door.

But as she failed to reply, the excited smile slid off your face.

“What’s wrong?”

Y/N Best Friend had never been good at being quiet, so on the rare occasions she was, you knew something was wrong.

“We got in a fight.” She replied.

“You and Pierre?”

“Yes. He’s so great sometimes and then other times he makes me want to pull my hair out.”

“Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

“Can we just have a girls day?” She asked. It wasn’t the first time she had been private about her relationships, both positively and negatively. You knew she would bring it up eventually but until then you decided the best option was to follow her lead.

“Of course.”

————

A girls day had turned into an entire girls weekend. Y/N Best Friend had spent the nights crashing in your guest bedroom, while the days were reserved for movie binges, beach trips, and shopping trips.

It was on one such trip that she went quiet, glued to her phone and texting 24/7. As the day wore the on, you finally asked what was going on.

“It’s Pierre. He apologized. The whole fight was stupid in the first place.”

“Oh um that’s great.” You responded, unsure how a stupid fight meant she hopped on a plane and fled vacation, but kept it to yourself.

“Will you go to the race this week with me?” She asked.

“I don’t know, Y/N Best Friend. I have work.”

But as she looked at you with those sad puppy dog eyes that you never quite learned to resist, you caved.

“Fine.” You said defeatedly.

“I’m so excited. Also there’s a sponsorship gala on Thursday night, we need to go find you a dress for it!”

And before you knew it your casual window shopping turned into a much larger production.

She dragged you between stores, searching for the perfect dress. You’d never attended one of these events before, so you trusted her judgment. The theme was starry nights, and the oppressive summer heat meant that the dress code allowed for cocktail length dresses. It wasn’t until you walked past a boutique in the city center that you stopped her. Dragging her inside, you approached the rack near the window display, gently lifting a dress off of it.

“Oh Y/N, that’s absolutely perfect! Go try it on right now!”

When you pulled up the zipper you knew the decision had been made. It fit perfectly, and hit the theme impeccably. It wasn’t until you approached the till that you second guessed your decision.

€3,000 stared back at you on the credit machine.

€3,000 for one dress, for one day.

As Y/N Best Friend pulled out her wallet to pay, you stopped her.

“You can’t spend this much on me.” You stated.

“Nonsense. Besides, it’s Pierre’s money. He said it was fine if it meant that you would come and I’d be happy.”

You knew if you put the dress back she would just go buy it later. She was always stubborn. Even more uncomfortable with taking money from Pierre, you pulled out your credit card, swiping for it. You tried not to balk at the fact that the dress was more than your rent for the month, thankful that you had a relatively lowkey summer because Y/N Best Friend was gone.

You cared home your purchases, spending the time discussing the rest of the coming weekends plans. Y/N Best Friend would be flying out early to see Pierre, so you were traveling in on your own.

You spent the night in, making homemade pasta for dinner before helping Y/N Best Friend pack. And as you saw her off while she loaded up her cab, you tried to ignore your nerves about the race weekend.

————

The work week passed by quickly and without issue. Before you knew it, it was Wednesday afternoon and you were zipping up your suitcase to head to the airport. You called a cab, chatting idly with the driver. When he learned where you were going, he lit up with joy, telling you about his favorite driver and how excited he was for racing to be back after the break.

Your flight was unproblematic. Nerves started to sink in, so you drank one two many glasses of champagne to calm your nerves before settling in for a nap.

————

After exiting the plane, you collected your suitcase from the baggage claims before making your way to the exits. The airport was busy, and you waited near the taxi area for 15 minutes before you even approached the front half of the line.

Arm starting to tire, you set your tote bag down on the top of your suitcase. As you pulled your phone out to let Y/N Best Friend know you would be at the hotel soon, a voice called out.

“Y/N?”

Turning around you saw a black sedan with heavily tinted windows. One was cracked, the top of a head peaking out through the gap. It wasn’t until it rolled down a bit more that you realized who had called your name.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I’m here for the race.”

“Where are you staying? At the drivers hotel like last time?”

“Uh yeah I am.”

“That’s where I’m headed, come on, you can ride with me.” He stated.

Heads had started to turn, others beginning to recognize the voice. You rushed across the lane, the driver having stopped the car and opened the trunk. Loading your bags in for you, he opened the back drivers side door for you, before you slid in.

An arm reached across the space as the car pulled off, dragging you into a seated hug. Making eye contact with those mischievous green eyes, you made small talk all the way to the hotel.

As you pulled up at the front doors, preparing to step out of the car, he plucked your phone from your bag. It wasn’t until you saw he had opened your contacts and added himself with an orange heart after, that you realized what was going on.

“There. If you need anything this weekend, let me know okay?” He stated, texting himself from your phone to save your number as well. Giving you a side hug goodbye, he walked to the elevator.

And as you headed to the front desk to check in, bags in hand, you missed the watchful gaze of the person in the car behind you.

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A/N: I’m trying to be a bit vague with the Pierre and Best Friend situation. While I have an idea of where I want that story to go, I’m not sure if I want to do them at the same time or run the stories separately. What do you guys think?

#f1 fanfic #lance stroll #lance stroll x reader #lance stroll x y/n #lance stroll x you #pierre gasly #pierre gasly x reader #pierre gasly x y/n #pierre gasly x you #f1 #lando norris #lando norris x y/n #lando norris x reader

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jingabitch · 4 years

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Plugged Up

SUMMARY: Tae and Jimin return from the army, and you fulfill a promise made to Tae.

RATING: E

A/N: went on hiatus but almost immediately wrote this LOL. it got finished a lot earlier than I expected because my wifi went out for a couple of hours yesterday and I had nothing better to do.

Big thank you to my betas @knjkitten @astrobabezblog @xoxrinaxox (tumblr wont let me tag) for looking through this for me!

WORD COUNT: 3.5k

series index

For Taehyung, the two years spent in the military were akin to hell. He was away from his brothers, his dog, his family and most of all, you. You were the sweet and soothing presence in his life who’d made being in the spotlight so much more bearable. It was less annoying and painful being in the spotlight, having to answer silly interview questions about his ideal type and his favourite line in every comeback single when he knew he could come home to you.

There was also the matter of the promise you’d given him right before all of them had left for the military. He thought about it in every spare moment he had, every night before going to bed, all the times that he spent sitting in the parade square with his company waiting for something or other, every time you’d come to visit, or he’d had a weekend off to come home and visit you. After all this time and energy spent thinking about it, the anticipation was killing him.

By some strange twist of fate, he and Jimin are being discharged on the same day and coming straight home to you. The logistics of having you at their discharge ceremonies, especially with all the cameras and people, were too difficult, so you’re at home waiting. His family came to pick him up and take him back to Seoul, and he feels bad, but he’s never been so uninterested in spending time with them in his life.

When they finally drop him off at the dorms, he’s just about vibrating out of his skin in excitement, something his family chalks up to seeing the boys again, after all this time. And they’re right, kind of. It’s not even the half of it. He doesn’t let them come into the dorms, spouting some bullshit about how it’s late and he’ll be fine, that they should just get home safely.

He bursts out of the lift onto his floor in excitement, his giant army pack no deterrent for him as he makes a beeline for the dorm. You’re right on the other side of the front door, he knows, and the second that it takes the electronic lock to recognize his thumbprint feels like an age. When he finally hears the jingle that means the door is unlocked, he pushes it open so forcefully that it bangs against the wall. Jumping at the noise, he feels a bit like a fool until he catches sight of you, standing in the hallway staring at him with wide eyes.

It’s not like you hadn’t seen him for the entire time he’d been away, but it had been a couple of months since his last day off, and you’ve missed him so much. You want to take in how good he looks in his army uniform from a distance, but more than that, you need to hug him now, and you take off, sprinting towards him at full speed.

With instincts honed by years of being with you, he takes a step into the apartment, drops his backpack carelessly on the ground and opens his arms to catch you. When you’re close enough, you take a running leap and wrap your arms and legs around him, pressing your lips onto his urgently. Taehyung doesn’t miss a beat as he wraps his arms around you securely, kissing you back with all the pent-up desire and love that he’d been holding on to. He doesn’t bother taking off his shoes as he kicks the door shut blindly then slams you against the wall, the feel of your tongue sliding against his, making his belly tighten.

“That was quite an entrance.” Jimin comments from behind you, standing on the edge of the genkan, his toes curling over the step. Taehyung turns to regard his friend, letting up on you so that you can put your feet back on the ground. You smile as you watch the two friends’ reunion, Taehyung closing the gap between them to hug Jimin. He’s so much taller that even though he’s standing in the genkan, they’re about the same height, and it’s adorable.

Taehyung and Jimin hadn’t seen each other in over a year, because for some reason their breaks never coincided with each other, so you don’t take it personally that they seem more excited to see each other than either of them had been to see you. After a long hug they finally separate; still smiling at each other sappily and you skip over, taking their hands in yours.

Jimin cocks a brow at you, smirking as he strokes the back of your hand with his thumb. “This one here’s been excited for you to get back.” he tells Taehyung, who grins at you rakishly in response. It appears that he hadn’t been the only one excited for your reunion.

You whine in embarrassment and step out of the genkan, burying your face in Jimin’s shoulder. "You said we couldn’t start until Tae got back!” you protest, voice half-muffled.

“Start what?” Taehyung asks interestedly, although it’s obvious he knows the answer already. It’s written all over Jimin’s ruffled hair and the pretty flush on your cheeks and going down your neck, disappearing into the neckline of the babydoll that’s barely staying on your body. One of the straps hangs off your shoulder, causing the neckline to droop dangerously.

The clear intent to which Taehyung stares at your breasts almost spilling out of the babydoll soothes your ruffled feathers somewhat. You know he’s been thinking about this – the dirty texts and calls had been increasing in both frequency and intensity as his discharge date inched closer.

About six months ago, you’d gone to have your IUD removed, and Taehyung had, of course, been the most excited of your boys about it, fussing over you as much as he could from the military base where he was stationed. He had sent his assistant over with samgye-tang, even though you were completely fine and could order your own food if you needed it. It had still been nice though, and you always felt loved and cared for by Taehyung, even when he couldn’t be with you in person.

Since then, however, the knowledge of what he was going to do once he got back from his military service has been there in the background in every single one of your interactions. Taehyung, like all the other boys, knows about your cycle in intimate detail and pulled strings to make sure that he would get back from the military just in time to catch your ovulation window. Initially his discharge date was two weeks later, however; you would be on your period, and that was just… wholly unacceptable.

He and Jimin are the first ones to be discharged, which means that breeding you will be their privilege. The knowledge darkens Taehyung’s gaze as he eats you up with his hungry gaze.

“Tae…” You whine impatiently, clenching your thighs together. You are turned on beyond bearing now, seeing the intense gaze he trains on you, his hand tightening over yours. At his request (order?) you’d avoided touching yourself for at least a month now, and Jimin, who arrived home a couple of hours ago, had teased you without relief for ages.

“What’s wrong, love?” Taehyung asks, sliding into the persona that he wears so well in the bedroom. He might be a cute and cuddly puppy most of the time, but both you and Jimin know that when it comes to sex, he’s in charge.

“I missed you.” You pout, tugging on his hand.

“I’m here now.” He teases, grinning at your obvious need.

“Tae…" You whine, pulling harder, and he chuckles at you this time.

“I need to take off my shoes.” He tells you, and you drop his hand so he can unlace his boots. Standing right behind Jimin with your chin propped on his shoulder, your hands slide under his shirt, greedily feeling up his abs. The army had been good for him and his body, you think. They fed him well and worked him hard, and he looks so much healthier now than he was when he left. Watching absently as Taehyung fiddles with his shoes, you sneakily dive your hand into Jimin’s sweatpants to grope him, knowing he’s already hard and waiting for you.

Unfortunately, right before your hand closes around his dick, Jimin lets out a breathy laugh and grabs your wrist, pulling your hand away from him. “Be patient, love.” He chastises, despite your pout. Taehyung, stepping out of his boots, grins at Jimin. You miss the look they share completely, distracted by the feeling of Jimin’s body under your hands. Taehyung knows, though, why Jimin stopped you. It’s uncharacteristic of the smaller man, since he’s usually a complete hedonist and takes his pleasure where he can get it.

Tonight, though, is different. Taehyung and Jimin had agreed to abstain for the past month, to increase their chances of success. It means they have nice, thick loads for you. It also means that both of them are working on a hair trigger. After teasing you, listening to you moan and beg for him for over an hour, Jimin is having a difficult time reining himself in. He’s determined to cum inside you and nowhere else.

When Taehyung finally steps out of his boots and away from the genkan, you reattach yourself to him like a limpet, something he’s only too happy to indulge. He picks you up off the floor entirely and hurries to his bedroom, Jimin trailing behind. Feeling your soft, warm body against his after so long of not seeing you… it’s nothing short of torturous, and he can’t wait to be inside you.

He drops you almost unceremoniously on the bed, but one bounce later you’re surging back up on your knees to attack the buttons on his uniform. It’s complicated though, and with the way your fingers are clumsy from eagerness and arousal, it takes you way too long to figure it out. So, with a chuckle, Taehyung pulls your hands away from his shirt and gets to work stripping himself off.

You sprawl out on the bed, watching with a hooded gaze as he shrugs out of his uniform shirt with practiced ease… Only to find another shirt underneath. With a growl of impatience, you sit back up to pull the shirt off him, while Taehyung just laughs delightedly at how impatient you are.

Jimin chuckles along while sitting in a comfortable chair. That's his usual spot for when he watches you and Taehyung. Usually he would stroke himself while waiting for his turn, but tonight he thinks it best to keep his hands off his junk. Watching your reunion with Taehyung is more than enough to keep him hard anyway.

Getting you out of your skimpy lingerie is far easier than getting Taehyung’s top off had been – one rough yank is enough to send the babydoll flying over your head, and Taehyung tugs so hard on the thong you were wearing that one of the hip seams rips against your thigh, something that neither of you pay attention to. Once you’re naked, you wrap your arms around Taehyung’s neck and pull him down onto the bed insistently.

With one hand bracing his weight and his other working the fastening on his pants, Taehyung can’t stop kissing you. It’s deep, filthy and wet, only a lewd promise of what’s to come. With his trousers finally undone, he crawls onto the bed, clad in just boxers. It’s something you’re not used to – Taehyung usually prefers going commando – but the army uniform doesn’t really allow for that. You hook your fingers in the waistband of his boxers to take them off, leaving them around his thighs as you grab his dick and start stroking.

“Fuckkk,” Taehyung swears against your lips, his brows drawing together. Urgently, he pushes your knees apart, his long fingers diving eagerly into your wet cunt. After all this time, he knows he needs to be careful to stretch you out properly, or it’ll hurt, but God if slowly fingering you open isn’t the hardest thing he’s ever had to do when all he wants is to be buried inside you.

With his thumb circling your clit, he gently pushes two fingers into you, pumping them in and out then scissoring them slowly. You shudder, moan and whine, clawing at his back and shoulders, begging incoherently for him to just stop teasing and fuck you already, dammit. He refuses to give in, even though you can feel him grinding his hips against your thigh and the kisses and bites he lavishes on your neck get rougher and less controlled.

When he finally deems you ready to take him, he is as much of a mess as you are. his muscles jumping sporadically under his skin and his jaw clenched. Words seem to be beyond him as he takes his hot length in his hand, rubbing the tip against your pussy to get it nice and wet.

Now that you’re about to get what you want, you calm down, docile under the weight of his body as you press kisses to his jawline. Your legs bracket his hips and you stroke his sides soothingly, feeling the tremors of his body. He exhales a series of curses as he pushes in, pressing his forehead against yours.

“You’re so goddamn tight, fuck.” He grinds out. He reaches down with one hand to rub your clit, and you clench down on him in response as you shiver in pleasure. All the while, he’s slowly inching in, until finally he bottoms out with a groan. “Missed you so much, baby. I’m gonna breed you so good, and then Jiminie is going to do the same,” he coos at you. “Do you like that? We’re gonna get you nice and pregnant.” He grunts as he begins thrusting in earnest.

Jimin finds that he has no choice but to squeeze the base of his dick as hard as he can to avoid cumming untouched at the way you wail as Taehyung pounds into you, finally letting go of all the pent-up stress of the past two years. Being away from his brothers and from you, having to tell so many lies to his platoon mates and the media about him being single – all of it had taken a toll on him that he’s now taking out on you.

For your part, you absolutely adore it, attempting to pull him deeper into you with your legs wrapped around his hips, leaving long scratches down his back from how good it feels.

“Such a good girl for us, aren’t you?” Taehyung pants. “Gonna fill you up so good, and then Jiminie is going to do the same.” He says, looking up at Jimin who’s watching intently. At first, you’d wondered if Jimin ever felt left out from having to watch you with Taehyung, but he thrives on it. While they were in the military, he’d gotten the chance to be with you alone during his breaks, and he’d never gone as crazy as he does when fucking someone else’s cum out of you.

You tilt your head to squint at Jimin, but your vision is slightly blurred from tears. As Taehyung continues pounding into you, you try your best to smile at Jimin, wanting him to feel included too. You can’t see very well, but you know he recognizes your gesture.

It doesn’t take too long for you to reach orgasm after being denied for so long, and as you cum, you clench down hard on Taehyung. “Fuck, you feel so good.” He pants, pressing his face in your neck as he buries himself as deep into you as he can get.

“I love you so much.” He groans, releasing his massive load deep into you. You stroke the back of his neck as you feel his cum spilling inside you, painting your insides white. He slumps on top of you after that, his bigger body blanketing yours, and you hug him close.

“Jiminie." You call softly, holding your hand out to the other man. He comes over to you, brushing your hair off your face affectionately.

“What is it, jagiya?” He asks, smiling down at you.

“I love you too." You tell him sweetly.

He leans down to kiss you. “I know.” He says smugly, and you roll your eyes at him.

He then moves to kiss Taehyung, slowly, lazily. When they break away, Taehyung pulls himself off you and grabs a pillow from above your head, stuffing it under your hips.

“You have to be careful,” he instructs Jimin. “Or else it’ll all come out.”

“I know, I know.” Jimin waves him off, kneeling between your spread legs on the bed. He leans over you, and you giggle as you loop your arms around his neck.

“Did you enjoy Taehyung, jagiya?” he asks. You nod in response, your gaze darting towards Taehyung for a moment before you look away with a slight blush.

“Do you feel up to taking me tonight?” Jimin says next, his fingers brushing over your used pussy. It’s all a bit – you both know that you’ll bite your lip, pretend to think about it, then accept coyly, and that’s exactly what you do.

The best part about going second, Jimin has found, is there’s absolutely no need for foreplay. He doesn’t need to stretch you out or worry about whether you’re wet enough, because Taehyung’s already taken care of that. Easing himself into you, with Taehyung’s cum as lubrication, is another way for him to feel close to his best friend, even as he makes the most intimate connection there is with you.

“Jiminie.” You coo at him as you tighten your arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. As turned on as Jimin is, he likes to start slow, building it up and making it last.

“Baby.” He responds with equal amounts of affection, brushing his nose against yours as he starts a slow, steady rhythm.

“I missed you.” You sigh. “You always fuck me so good.” Jimin responds well to compliments, so you make sure to keep up a steady stream, kissing him softly, stroking his sides and back, telling him how good his cock feels inside you. It’s not a lie – Taehyung is big, but Jimin is just a little girthier, and the stretch burns pleasantly as he thrusts into you.

“Ah jagiya, you’re always so good to me.” He moans, speeding up a little. Despite Taehyung’s warning, you can feel his cum squelching out of you, making a mess of both you and Jimin. He probably won’t like that, but it’s a nice feeling, and you hug Jimin closer to you. He doesn’t last long either, but makes sure to get you there first, angling his thrusts so that his pelvis bumps against your clit as he reaches that magic spot inside you with the tip of his cock. He remembers that article he read that said the chances of conception are higher when women orgasm, and redoubles his efforts to make you cum.

After so many years together, he knows your body like the back of his hand, and you find yourself falling apart under his expert ministrations. Almost against your will, you feel yourself tightening around Jimin, broken gasps escaping you as you begin climbing the peak again. You fall apart with a shudder, and Jimin groans as he feels you clench hard on him. Finally, finally, he lets himself cum into you, driving in hard one last time before he spills with shuddering moans into your soiled pussy.

“I love you.” He gasps as he slumps over you bonelessly. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” He repeats, nuzzling into your cheek. Equally winded, you pat his back gently, your eyes seeking Taehyung’s.

He stretches out beside you and presses a kiss to your other cheek. “You did well tonight, love,” he praises. “You’re not done yet, though.”

Still a little addled, you don’t have the words to ask him what he means, but the inquisitive tilt of your head has him grinning at you as he holds a pussy plug in front of your face. “So you don’t let any out.” He explains, winking at you.

Jimin heaves himself off you with a grunt, lying flat on his back beside you. Taehyung takes his cue to sit up, pushing your knees apart so he can insert the toy. You fidget uncomfortably for a second, and he strokes your thigh gently. “Such a good girl." He says softly. “Just wanna make sure you keep it all in.”

You force yourself to lay still as he puts it in, then he lies back next to you, one arm flung across your waist. Jimin, on your other side, clings just as hard, and you let yourself drift off to sleep, knowing that round two is coming as soon as they get their breath back.

#kwritersworldnet #btswritingcafe #smutcentralnet #ficswithluv #magicshopnet #bangtanarmynet #btswriterscollective #bangtanhq #ksmutclub #bts #bts fic #bts smut #yandere bts #bts yandere #taehyung smut #jimin smut #fucked up #bts idol au

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bigdaddib · 4 years

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Promise pt.2

This isn’t going in the direction I was expecting lol, but we’re sticking with it for now ig.

At seventeen years old, Arya was terrified for Gendry to go to college, so she was forcing promises on him left and right.

“Promise not to forget about me,”

“I promise,”

“Promise to come home every weekend,”

“I’m still living at home Arya,”

“Promise to come to my house every weekend then,”

“That’s less than I come over now,”

“You know what I mean,”

“I promise,”

“Promise not to like anyone better than me,”

“I’ve made that promise four times now,”

“Promise…” she wanted to make him promise not to fall in love with anyone, but she knew there were still some things she couldn’t ask him. “Promise that you’ll shower more often,”

“Hey,” Gendry pointed a finger at her. “I shower more than you do and we both know it,”

They made plans at the beginning of the year to spend the summer together, drive across the country or something like that. They didn’t really have any of it planned out, but they were leaving in four days. Gendry was helping her pack. “I’ll need a swimsuit, right?”

Gendry shrugged, “It’s a possibility, for sure,”

She threw a bikini in her bag. “Books?”

“Are you gonna read them?”

Arya shrugged, “The radio could stop working or something. I could read to you,”

Gendry snorted and so did Arya.

“Are we going anywhere cold?”

“I’d prefer not to,” he answered.

“So, no blankets?”

“No, bring lots of blankets,”

When they were done she pushed her four, fully packed bags to the side and shoved them off the bed so she could sit next to Gendry. They immediately leaned back into the bed with her head on his shoulder. He smelt nice, like any hot boy would smell, only better because he wasn’t just any hot boy, he was Gendry.

Arya was angry the first time she realized he was more attractive then everybody else. She hadn’t realized it for a while actually, he’d always had the same face to her. But then she noticed everyone else noticing him and Sansa’s friend Jeyne Poole asked Arya if she thought he would go out with her, so Arya decided to take a closer look. It was the worst decision she’d ever made.

She was perfectly content not noticing his broad shoulders or his high cheek bones or straight jawline. She didn’t need to see how he towered at least a foot over every other boy in school, in the world really. Or the way his light eyes glowed bright against his dark hair. It didn’t do her any good to notice these things, because while he got hot, she got not.

She was still called Arya Horseface, she was still shorter than everyone she knew and it seemed no amount of kickboxing, archery, ballet, and numerous different haircuts weren’t going to change that. And before Gendry got hot, it didn’t matter that she wasn’t hot, she never even thought about it. But now that he was, and now that she noticed, and now that she couldn’t stop noticing, it meant he would never keep his promise.

Of course, she knew that promise had been shaky since the beginning, and she sort of knew he was not under any real obligation to keep that promise. But still…did he remember? Did he intend to keep it... maybe over the summer? When it would be just them traveling who knows where?

“Jeyne Pool has a crush on you, you know,” she decided to tell him. It hadn’t been long since Jeyne had asked her about Gendry, it hadn’t been long since Arya noticed Gendry’s physical attributes, hadn’t been long since her life spiraled out of control. Only eight months, really, but somehow it felt like she’s spent her whole life feeling this way.

“A lot of people have a crush on me,” Gendry grinned and Arya nudged him. How long had tons of people had crushes on him? Has he acted on any of those crushes? Was it too late to hold up his end of the promise? She liked to think he didn’t, or if he did she’d like to think he’d tell her about it. As far as she knew, there wasn’t anything she didn’t know about Gendry. As far as she knew, she either saw everything that went on in his life first hand or he told her about it, as far as she knew he was still a virgin. But maybe that was naïve of her.

“A boy had a crush on me once you know,” she told him like it was a big deal.

“Oh?” he turned to look at her. She didn’t look back; he was too close and his eyes were too blue.

“Mmmhmm, his name was Micah and he followed me around everyday during recess,” She told him honestly. Micah and her had a good thing going, actually, before he moved away.

“That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” he said.

Arya nodded, “I know, they’re making a movie about it,”

Gendry chuckled, moved onto his side and looked at her with his head propped on his hand. “Its gonna be your senior year, how does that make you feel?”

Arya rolled her eyes, “It’s just another year,” and she wasn’t looking forward to it without Gendry. She knew how to talk to people and she wasn’t lacking in friends necessarily, but Gendry is what she looked forward to everyday, and now that he wouldn’t be there it seemed rather dull. He wouldn’t walk her to school or skip out on class to eat lunch with her. Now she had to make small talk with her lesser friends and wait until it was time to get home.

“I bet, when I’m not there, you’ll find out a lot more people have crushes on you,” he told her.

Arya frowned as she finally looked up at him. It was a mistake, as she knew it would be. With him so close she could feel his breathe over her cheeks and most definitely the firmness of his torso against her arm. In the position they were in now, she could almost imagine what it would be like to reach out and touch the scruff of his face, something she’s obviously already felt before but this would be different. This would be different because it would be a sort of lead up. She would start with feeling the scruff, then she would slip her hand into his rather fluffy hair (hair which he had her to thank for after making him promise not to ever buzz it off again) and then she wouldn’t have to do much else because he would already be leaning towards her, and then…

Arya frowned at him, “What?”

Gendry shrugged, “I think guys were just scared to ask you out cause we’re always with each other. Either that or they think you’re a lesbian,”

Arya snorted. “Right. And why is it all these girls aren’t too afraid to ask you out, hmm?”

“They probably think you’re a lesbian,”

“I grew out my short hair, okay?” Arya huffed. He’s been making lesbian jokes at her ever since she had buzzed all her hair off. Actually, Gendry had been the one to physically do it while Jon supervised. There was a lot of screaming and a lot of laughing.

“The memory will never grow out,”

The night before they were supposed to leave Arya dragged Gendry to a huge party that was in celebration of the seniors leaving. Gendry hadn’t been to a single party throughout his high school career and Arya felt an obligation to change that. She wanted to take at least one of his virginities.

“Its so…crowded,” he mumbled, crossing his arms.

Arya nodded, “How observant you are.”

She could hear him roll his eyes. “How long are you gonna make me stay?” he asked.

Arya shrugged, “As long as it takes.”

“As long as what takes?”

“As long as it takes for you to get so drunk you’ll never want to leave,” She gave him a deep dimpled smile, one he did not return as he looked down at her.

“How are we supposed to drive across the country tomorrow if I have a hangover?”

“Oh please, we weren’t gonna leave until around five anyway. Come on, I’ll get you started,” she took his arm by the elbow, it felt too sensitive and revealing to take him by the hand now that she’s noticed him. One touch and he’ll know she was still thinking about that promise she forced him into.

“You’re not gonna leave me alone, are you?”

Arya liked to say she wouldn’t, but if there was a challenge tempting enough, or if she got tipsy enough, she might end up wandering around. She wouldn’t intend to, she might even think she’s only a few steps away from Gendry, but she would do it none the less. “I’ll try not to,” she knew she could keep that promise at least.

“Yeah, that helps,” his voice gave away that it didn’t.

Arya supervised his next two shots and forced him into a third. She was sitting on the counter so she could look him in the eyes for intimidation purposes. Also, his eyes were pretty, and she was getting drunk with him. So, the closer she was to him, the better.

“Here,” she gave him a rum and coke to sip on for the next hour or so. He was a big guy, but he hardly drank because he was afraid to turn out like his father, so she didn’t exactly know how high his tolerance would be. It did seem like his blinking was starting to slow down, but that might be her own intoxication reflecting off of him.

“What do you want me drunk for anyway?” he asked with a smile, placing a hand on her thigh. She hadn’t realized he was standing right in between her legs until then. Kind of crazy, thirty minutes ago she was too nervous to hold his hand.

“So I can take advantage of you,” she smirked into her own cup. Gendry leaned forward, resting his head on her should and the hand that was previously on her thigh moved up to her waist. “I see its working?”

“Well, I’ve got a promise to keep, don’t I?”

Arya stilled. She wasn’t drunk enough to handle this new topic with anything related to cool nonchalant-ness. This was the very subject she’s been thinking about bringing up for the past six months, after forgetting about it entirely for nearly seven years. Arya cleared her throat, “Do you?”

She felt his lips smile against her neck. “After what you put me through to make that promise? You’re gonna take it all back now?”

She bit her lip, trying to really think through this conversation, to be rational and coy and sneaky and…whatever else there was to be because it was right there. If she played her cards right, she could take it. She could have him, really have him, and all she needed to do was say the right words.

What words were those?

“I’m not sure, what promise are you talking about again? We’ve made so many,” she made a point to wrap her hands around his shoulders, link her ankles around his hips. His grip on her waist tightened.

“Well,” he cleared his throat. “There was the one about you always being my favorite…”

Arya hummed, “That was a good one.”

“There was the one forcing me not to be into Sansa?”

“One of my best.”

“And there was…” he tilted his head so his nose was pressed to the side of her neck, the hand at her waist moving to her lower back. “I think there was one where you made me promise to never watch Desperate Housewives without you.”

“Oh yes. I am holding you to that promise,” Arya told him firmly, allowing a hand to get lost in his black hair.

“Arya?”

“Hmmm?”

“I think I’m drunk.”

Arya laughed, “I think you are too.”

“It’s embarrassing that it happened so fast.”

“It’s cute.”

“Don’t leave me the rest of the night?” it sounded more like a plea than the first time he asked.

Arya was now determined to not let herself get distracted. What could be more distracting than Gendry? The man that was standing between her legs with his face cuddled into her neck? The man who had been turning beautiful and smart right under her nose and who she had just started to notice. How could she not have seen him? Was she too late? Or was there simply never going to be a right time?

Later on, it was Gendry who did the leaving. Arya barely allowed it and only did because it was Jon he was leaving her for. She would’ve stuck around them too, if Sansa hadn’t pulled her away.

“How did you get Gendry back at a party?” she asked, peaking at him.

Arya curled her lip, “Get him back? He’s been to one before?” she didn’t like this. She didn’t like Sansa knowing something about Gendry that Arya didn’t. In fact, she hated it.

“Oh please, as if you haven’t heard. The homecoming party? At Ygritte’s?”

Arya’s frowned deepened. “I wasn’t here for homecoming, I was at Bravoos for dance camp,” she had been gone two months and Gendry had face timed and called her everyday for those two months. He had made a point to, since he was incredibly angry about her going in the first place.

“It’s just going to be you and Jaquen, alone, in the middle of the woods? Are you fucking crazy Arya?!”

“Yes, me and Jaquen and my entire dance studio. Also, several other dancer studios and teachers, alone in the woods, with bunk beds and like...Well water. Not the sexiest of places.”

“If Christian camp can get sexy, so can ballet camp.”

“Christian camp can get sexy?”

“Arya! That guys a creep, I don't like the way he keeps...looking at you,”

“Gendry! He’s my dance teacher, it’s his literal job to look at me,”

“Promise me you won’t go.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. His pinky was already out and shoved right into her face.

“You’re not serious,” Arya blinked at him, unamused.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything.”

“Not even when you made me promise to always eat lunch with you?”

“You’re not taking this seriously,”

“No, and I’m not promising that either. We already paid the place. You’re being stupid.”

The conversation lasted longer and they both only got angrier so Arya didn’t want to think too hard about right now. She was trying to remain as calm as possible. He would’ve told her about a party, why wouldn’t he?

Sansa put a hand to her head, “That’s right! You weren’t there! Well, it was crazy. Nobody expected him to act out so wildly. I don’t think he expected it either, he was so mad at anyone who brought it up afterwards, and everyone brought it up,” she giggled into her drink.

Arya hated that she had to ask this, “What’d he do?”

“Oh Gods, what didn’t he do,” she said after her drink. “Skinny dipping, table dancing, body shots…he even got caught fucking some girl on the front lawn,” she smiled at Arya, “You would’ve been so proud,” patting Arya’s shoulder, Sansa walked away.

“There you are,” Gendry found Arya on the roof, carrying a more than half empty bottle of vodka. “You weren’t supposed to leave me, especially not to be a loser sitting alone on the roof,” he reached for a drink, but Arya took a swig instead of handing it to him.

She shouldn’t be mad. That’s what she kept telling herself. She shouldn’t be mad. It was a ridiculous promise he was forced to make by a ridiculous child. It didn’t matter that he broke it, it didn’t matter that he had even made that promise to begin with, it was fake from the beginning. He was just agreeing to get her off his back.

But why wouldn’t he tell her about it? Why would he hint at it tonight? That’s what hurt, the secrets. She’d never kept a secret from him. Never. But he kept this from her, and this was big. If all she was was his best friend, fine, she could take it, but best friends knew about each other’s sex lives. They knew about their party lives. To not tell her was…to do it at all was…

She shouldn’t be mad.

“You okay?” he asked, scooting closer.

Her lips pressed together to not yell at him. To not say, “No! You’re not a virgin anymore and you didn’t tell me! Why wouldn’t you tell me?! Why would you keep me wondering about this stupid promise when you’ve broken it almost a year ago now? What else have you lied about? Was that not even your first time?! Does Jon know about all of this?! Rob? Sansa knows! How could Sansa know more about you than I do?! I’m supposed to be your favorite! You promised I would always be your favorite! Or were you lying about that too?!”

It was all at the tip of her tongue, ready to be placed into the world, because that’s what she did. She said what was on her mind, she was honest with him.

Or, at least she had been up until about eight months ago. Now she was just as bad as he was. She was lying every time he touched her, looked at her, every time she had trouble looking back at him. She wasn’t telling him the complete truth anymore, because she had hope that maybe he wasn’t either. But she was hoping he was harboring some different kind of secrets, secrets that matched hers. Not secrets like these, secrets that crushed hers into nothing but secrets. Into nothing but silly girlish fantasies. She never wanted those, she never wanted fantasies and pining, she wanted archery and dance. She wanted to travel the world, she didn’t want to waste precious dreams and ambitions on something so…so…so Sansa. But she did, and she couldn’t look down on Sansa anymore, that would be stupid, because she was stupid just like her now.

“Arya,” he nudged her shoulder, she still hadn’t answered him.

“I never expected you to keep that promise you know,” she wound up spitting at him.

He blinked, “Sorry?”

“I don’t know why you felt like you had to keep it a secret…why you needed to lie about it, but I never expected you to keep that fucking promise, okay? It was stupid, I was ten, you really think I’ve just been sitting around waiting for you to take my virginity?”

Gendry brought a hand to his forehead, rubbing it. “Arya…if this is about that one party—”

“The one you never told me about. I just heard about it from Sansa.”

“Everything about that party was a fucking a mistake, Arya. It was…one of the scariest nights of my life and I never even wanted to think about—”

“That promise was a fucking mistake, this whole thing is a fucking mistake. I’m done just,” she clenched the bottle tightly in her hand, “Clinging onto you. I’m done worrying one day you’ll wake up and realize you don’t need me anymore, because that day came a long time ago and I’ve just been so…” her teeth ground together.

“What are you talking about?!” he bent forward to try and catch her eye but she turned away. She didn’t want to see his eyes, she knew the second she did she would start crying. “Of course I need you, Arry, you’re my best fri—”

“Because I force myself on you!” Arya burst. “I force you to make and keep promises you have no interest in, I force you not to move on from me, and I see now that that’s…that’s stupid! You’re gonna do what you wanna do with who you wanna do it with, and maybe you’ll tell me about it and maybe you won’t and I’m stupid for thinking—”

“I didn’t tell you because I was so fucking ashamed! Not because I-I…I was acting just like my dad, Arya! I had unlocked him and I didn’t want you to look at me that way!”

“If I’m your best friend, you would’ve come to me about that. I would’ve come to you,” now she did look at him, just so he would know how hurt she was, so she could rub it in to his stupid beautiful face. “Did you go to Jon?” she asked.

Gendry opened his mouth, closed it, looked at his lap.

“I’m gonna stay home for the summer,” Arya said after a while. “You can do whatever you want,” she left him the vodka bottle before leaving.

Listen...angst is my favorite. I didn’t start this with that intention but..uhh...

#Gendry Waters #gendrya #gendryaau #gendrya ff #Arya Stark #arya x gendry #gendryafluff #gendrya fanfiction #gendryaseries #pt2 #friends to lovers

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winstonhcomedy · 5 years

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HDWDLN? 1/5-1/7 “Weekend Host Battle and A Witch Joke”

OOOOO DOGGY DO I HAVE A BLOG POST FOR YOU! I’m going to go over the last episode of Host Battle we did, and the Southern open mic last night. Both super fun nights, and full of silly comedy times.

1/5

I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited for a Host Battle as I was this one. They gave us a Saturday night instead of a Wednesday (which is huge) and I had an entire month to advertise.

I went every route I could think of to try and advertise this. I posted on IG constantly, I shared and invited everyone I could think of on FB, I gave away some free tickets, and I made a post on Reddit (which surprisingly got a lot of traffic) So I was extremely hopeful this would have a great turnout.

I got to the show early and started to set everything up at The Southern. I set up my camcorder in the back. I was also excited to set up my new GoPro. I put it on the stage to capture us all from a pretty awesome angle.

Host Battle is an amazing show. It is essentially Chris Alan and I on stage doing a live writing session with a series of comics. It is super similar to Bumping Mics on Netflix (we came first. In March we will be celebrating our two year anniversary of doing Host Battle). This month we had a pretty fire lineup that included (John Rademacher, Patrick Buhse, Alex Castagne, Kristina Montouri, Rick Williams, David Luzader, and Paige Campbell).

We get ready to go out on stage and Paige tells me, “dude it is absolutely packed out there.” I am usually nervous that the turnout will be shit, but this time I’m nervous because I don’t want to disappoint a paying crowd.

Chris and I walk out there and it is absolutely packed. This is definitely the most we’ve ever had here for a local comedy show. In this instant I just keep thinking about how it seems like each show is getting better and better. How they continue to grow, and how it seems like we are actually building an audience.

Then we start it off. Chris and I riff back and forth about our weeks, and Christmas. We explain the rules of the show and try to get them ready for how weird and offensive this show is going to be. We finally start getting big laughs when I talk about teaching. I tried out this new bit about losing control of my classroom, and how I had to block one of my student on youtube because they bullied me.

After we do this we bring Johnny Rad on stage. He riffs about going on a cruise and drinking. He also jokes about how he only smoked weed because his younger sister made him. So Chris and I joke about how lame he is etc. He has a really good guest spot and sets the tone for the show.

Up next is Patrick Buhse. He was super nervous about the show because another comic (Kenn Edwards) told him it was the worst experience of his life. Thankfully after a few minutes on stage he got that this isn’t a horrible show, and that no one is out to get you. We just want to bust balls and write. Buhse’s biggest hit was we all ended up talking about dwarf dicks. He even called his gf to ask her about it.

Alex Castagne showed up to the show so I gave him a guest spot. He did really well. Alex, Chris, and I have great chemistry since we are such good friends. We are really starting to get more offensive. We had a female counselor for UVA students heckle us because we were mocking the students. So we fired back at her and took control of the show. The best part of Alex’s set is when he told the story about how he had recently found a dildo in his mom’s closet.

Then Kristina Montouri came up and she also did not disappoint. She seemed really comfortable just opening up and being weird. She talked about how she tried to get her husband to cheat on her, how she likes to get banged, and how much she enjoys anal. She had one of the best sets of the night. Some truly huge laughs.

Rick Williams was next. He’s a good friend and newer comic. He actually tried out some new bits which was awesome. He made fun of Disney movies, and we riffed on race with Chris. He even ended up getting a huge punch for a joke he’s been trying to work on for months.

This is the true beauty of Host Battle. It’s great because it takes some of the fear out of bombing. There are three comics on stage and everyone is working their ass off to get laughs. The best part is you can work out jokes that would seem impossible to work out on your own. A lot of comics have found their closer out by doing our show. There’s just a lot of freedom, and comfort with this show. I’m super proud of where it is.

After him we had David Luzader. He talked about a bad Christmas gift he got and then got some big laughs talking about a horrible date he went on while he was in Arizona for Christmas. It was truly one of the worst dating stories I've ever heard.

Finally we had Paige. Paige tried out some new jokes about getting in trouble with the law, and just riffed away. I always like closing with Paige, because he is not afraid to go for it, and be weird and offensive. This is always a great way to close.

So we finish up the show and thank everyone. Afterwards people are coming up to us and saying how much they enjoyed it and how they’d definitely be back. This happens after a lot of our shows, but this is definitely the most I’ve seen it happen. The best part is a I find out we had close to 100 people there. Which absolutely blew me away. This is about 35 more than the next largest show we’ve had. I think we are onto a great thing, and we are going to continue to push it going forward. I’d give this whole show an A. From top to bottom this was the best and most consistent Host Battle we have had. For the first time it feels like we truly have the formula figured out.

1/7

I was back at The Southern for the open mic last night. I got there early because Paige needed to film my scenes for a sketch he is doing. I am super excited to see how it turns out. I think it’s going to be incredibly silly and weird.

We had an ok sized crowd. Mainly because this new coming brought a bunch of people out. It was a pretty low-key night. Not a ton of comics, but a high percentage of newbies.

The crowd seemed pretty timid for most of the night. They were into the show but they never had insane energy. You really had to work for it, and honestly after having a run of pretty good shows I was ready to really work out some new shit.

I went up and did about 15 minutes of super new stuff. It went pretty well. I definitely had one of the better sets. I wasn’t killing but pretty much everything I tried had something that worked in it. I hashed out a story about my students I tried at Host Battle, and a new idea about a meeting we had at work that day. The best part came from a line I had written down about knowing a lot of witches on fb. It got a chuckle, but a guy told me his ex wife was a witch and I was able to turn that into something hilarious. I was glad Chris made me try new shit, because I got a brand new dope bit from it. I’d give my set a B-

Everyone else did ok. The new comics didn’t do amazing, but they were all good sports and they seem like they want to keep doing it. Which is good. You always need a new influx of comics. It keeps the shows fresh when people drop out, or get tired of seeing the same stuff. Plus it is always nice to see development in new comics.

Paige had a super fun set at the end. We made him work out this new bit that he was scared to do because of how personal it is. But we bullied him into doing it and honestly I think it’s going to end up being one of his best jokes. All in all an amazing night for comedy.

I AM OFFICIALLY CAUGHT UP BAYBEES!!!

I did it finally. I promise these will be shorter, and up to date from now on (unless they don’t then I’m sorry).

I love you all and your support so much. Come check me out at Pro re Nata in Crozet Thursday at 8 (hosting an amazing show featuring Chris Alan running his hour), Cozzy’s in Newport News this Fri/Sat at 8 (hosting) and then Hof Garden in Richmond this Sunday at 7 (closing out this showcase).

xoxoxo love you laydees

#comedy #jokes #standup #gameshow #funny #hilarious #improv #roast #host battle

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skinflesh97-blog · 5 years

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Coping

Road trip prep. Kids, you're in charge of the cookies.

My alarm went off at 4:00am—an abrupt wakeup after finally finishing packing just three hours earlier. I snoozed it once…..ok, twice, and then we shoved the kids (still half asleep) into what little space was left in the loaded car, and headed west. It was a lonnnnnnng drive across Nevada—driving into the wind the entire way, dust blowing onto our roadside break of turkey and cheese.

Thanks to the Internet and a few pointers from friends, we had a couple “ideas” where we may want to set up camp for the next four nights-we are not usually great at making FIRM plans….we are more “general idea” kind of people. You could say we are almost always winging it. We headed down a 10 mile dirt road towards what we knew would be THE. MOST. AMAZING. campsite ever—in the trees, right on the lake, perfect. We were tired, hungry, and ready to get settled. Last fall we bought a little pop-up trailer—we figured as often as we camp, it would be nice to get out of the elements occasionally. We have loved it so far—we are always able to find secluded places to park it off the beaten path and keep away from crowds; we had planned on this time being the same.

We could faintly see the clear blue water through the trees, and were relieved and happy to have finally arrived after a full day in the car. But then we pulled up and saw what seemed to be a “local’s only” party….and we were definitely not invited. A few cars and tents scattered around near the water’s edge—no room at the inn—and here’s the kicker, the only place to turn around was occupied by several cars. And we were pulling a trailer. Whoops.

Robby handles these situations much better than I do—we slowly drove through—every head turned. He laughed and waved like we were in a parade “we’re from out of town. Obviously. We didn’t know this place was so popular”. I sat in the passenger seat sweating and sinking lower and lower in my seat, wondering how we were ever going to get out of this place with nowhere to turn around. We inched our way through the trees—Robby maneuvering our set up (that all the sudden seemed like a TRAIN in such tight quarters) and finally managed our way out, using a 57 point turn. We peeled out and kicked up dust as we sped away—except totally opposite of that, because the trailer only allows us to go so fast—and laughed all the way back out to the main road. At least we gave the locals a good laugh, right!? We didn’t want to take our chance down anymore unknown roads, so we put our tail between our legs and headed towards a campground.

California!

We got camp set up around ten—it was 45* in Lassen, and we were still in flip flops and shorts and really too exhausted to do anything but crawl into bed and crash. So we chose sleep over dinner and called it a day.

We took our time waking up the next morning, ate eggs and bacon until we couldn’t eat another bite, and loaded up our packs to head out.. We spent the next three days hiking, paddling, fishing, exploring volcanoes, and completely disconnecting from the outside world. No phone service, no work, no emails to respond to, no worries really—except how stinky our armpits were and how tangled our hair was getting--it was truly the best.

We always manage to find winter in summer.

As we packed up one evening after a day on the lake—fitting kayaks, fishing gear, granola bar wrappers and tired kids into the car, an older gentleman came over—he and his wife were from Los Angeles and driving through the area. He struck up a conversation about our day. “How was the lake? (perfect. empty.) How was the fishing? (more fishing, less catching.)”, and what really struck me, “and your kids LIKE this stuff? How do you make them do all this? How do they cope without their Playstation?”

“Well…..this is kinda...what we DO. They like to play outside—we actually go camping all the time”.

“You mean, you just go out into the woods?”

“yep”…………..

If we were living in a cartoon world his eyes would have popped out of his head and his jaw would have hit the ground.

“Huh.”

end scene.

we had the lake to ourselves.

This conversation really got me thinking. As I type this, we are driving back after eight days on the road. We are exhausted—both physically and mentally, tired of camp food, and absolutely filthy—our best “shower” was soaping* up in a river, hoping the icy cold current would rinse away some of the grime. I miss my animals and my garden, yet I’d happily continue on down the road—I am happiest when I’m out exploring somewhere new. It’s who we are, it’s what we do, and it’s PART of the reason my kids can “cope without their Playstation” (which by the way, we didn’t tell the guy we didn’t even have one.)

But, it’s only part of the reason—I realize that our particular lifestyle is not for everyone, and that’s ok. But there ARE other ways to keep kids from being completely dependent on screens, gadgets, gizmos, and the need for constant stimulation and entertainment. Here are a few of my ideas: (I'm not saying this is the only way to parent, it just seems to work for us:)

Don’t buy them screens/gadgets/gizmos/etc. Hey that’s easy—and cheap! My kids are not this special breed of children who have no desire to glue their faces to something plugged in. But it’s a lot harder to do when they don’t have access to it. They don’t have their own phone or ipad, and we have an old xbox with 4 games that they can earn time for on weekends after all their chores are done--it's GREAT bribery! (ps. I think Minecraft is a GREAT game! So much creativity to unleash!) Do they ask for all the above mentioned stuff? Do they say “but alllllllllllll my friends have ______” They DO! And guess what I say? “I don't care!" And occasionally I like to throw in things like "because I'm the mom and I say so", and then I feel super legit. I realize that as my kids get older, this one is unavoidable, so we will:

Set limits. Maybe you are a cooler parent than me and your kids have a gadget or two. Great! But they don't need to have it in hand alllllllll the time. I started an Instagram account so my kiddos could post the pictures they take and share them with cousins and grandmas and grandpas (and mostly so we could print more Chatbooks!) I log them in so they can post a few photos, we look (together) at what's going on with our cousins, and then I log them out--no time wasted mindlessly scrolling, and no wondering what garbage they saw on Instagram. But they feel connected to their cousins who live far away--win win! When they want to use the computer they have to ask--I want to know what they'll be doing.

Have other options. As much as I wish we could--we can't spend 100% of our time outside. We are a movie loving family and movie nights are our favorite, but I hate the tv always being on--it's such an easy "out". We've had a scorcher of a summer, and some afternoons we have to hide out in the house to beat the heat, but we are making sure to do lots of reading, writing, and artwork instead of letting the tv constantly entertain us.

Don't start them so young! I will probably ruffle so many feathers by saying this, but I honestly can't believe how many babies and toddlers I see with a screen in their hand--the grocery store, church, restaurants--everywhere. I somehow raised my babies without a screen in hand (they weren't even invented yet.) And when I say that, it sounds like I raised my babies in the 1800s and just let them play with tumbleweeds, but really it was just a few years ago, I promise. Was it hard to go to Target with a 4 year old and 2 year old? OH MY GOSH IT WAS THE WORST! But did I somehow manage without attaching them to a glowing screen? I DID! And there were a fair share of public meltdowns, tantrums, whining, complaining--because guess what, they are KIDS, and that's what kids do. But if we stick an iPad in their face (and pretend to be ok with it because it's "educational"), just so we can have a peaceful grocery store experience, how can we expect them to learn to function in real life without that constant stimulation? (I ran out of breath reading that last sentence, did you?)

I am absolutely not a perfect parent, and I pray every day that I'm not screwing these kiddos up too badly. But I do work ridiculously hard to make sure my kids get dirty, breathe fresh air, do chores, don't rely on screens for constant stimulation, know how to be creative, have original thoughts, and entertain themselves. I would love to hear YOUR ideas on how to better keep kids connected to the real world, and not rely too much on electronic interaction.

They seem to be coping just fine.

*I mentioned we soaped up in the river--it was the BEST, and I recommend it (but watch out for people coming down the hill--you'll have to run for cover in your skivvies). We use THESE SOAPS --they are biodegradable and don't mess up the water and vegetation :) **I also mentioned Chatbooks! Do you get these? It's a subscription that I use through my Instagram (you can also create books without IG, but it's so easy and brainless to do it how I do). Every 60 photos I post it sends me a notification that my book is ready--then I can edit captions, take out photos, or do NOTHING, and it will send my photo book automatically--each book costs $8. We LOVE them, and look through them so often (we've been getting them for the last 2 years)--they are great little scrapbooks. If you aren't yet using Chatbooks, go sign up and use the code SHEENA to get 20% off your order now through the end of the month.

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Source: http://inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2016/07/coping.html

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scificheergirl · 5 years

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When we last left our hero, she was prepping for a slew of events and there was no end in sight for the WIP pile on the work table. Since then, fun has been had, the studio was cleaned, furniture has been moved, and research books have been pulled for the next project. Sit back, and let’s review!

The Art of the Belly dance festival was educational and fun and inspiring and surprising and all of the things I love about dance packed into a long weekend. I ended up wearing Killmonger for the Heroes & Villains after party–that costume gets better everytime I wear it. My daughter and I performed a Mommy & Me tribute to Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, which was super silly–silly awesome, of course. The closing number of the show was a broom dance (you had to be there), so I put on Aqualad, having forgotten that my red dino makeup would need more than a wet wipe to come off. Oh well. Fun was had, and I got back to business after the long drive home.

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The “Costuming the Crown” exhibit opening at Winterthur was absolutely stunning and inspiring and educational. I am officially obsessed with costume display thanks to the story that the curators presented, explaining the process of choosing items and building the exhibit from the bones out. The panel discussion with famed costume designers Michele Clapton and Jane Petrie was, again, educational and inspiring and hilarious. I made some new friends in the line, and we ended up front and center for the once in a lifetime event. I also bought a teeny crown. Squeee!

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After peopling so hard that Saturday, I was in need of alone time, which I spent in my studio. Earlier that week, I’d worked on Mini Me’s Eliza Hamilton gown, so even though we didn’t attend the Eliza Hamilton event at the Museum of the American Revolution, we did take a few minutes to shoot some photos outside.

Then, it was full steam ahead on my own 18th century gown! And my Jedi! And my Belter! I’ve only recently gotten a full night’s sleep, so I’m not going to drone on about all of the last minute decisions and shortcuts that I had to take to finish three costumes and to pack a guest table. It was a recurring nightmare of mine, and I’d like to think that this was the last time…HAHAHAHAHAHA. Ha. Anyway, the Great Philadelphia Comic Con was fantastic! I’m writing a separate post on attending as a guest, but I will say that being in a position to answer costuming questions and to meet young costumers made my entire heart happy. Catching up with friends was great too, of course!

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After the con, I took a week to decompress and to prep the studio for the next project. I went through my entire fabric stash, reorganized some shelves, and moved my tables to a slightly different configuration. Avoiding burnout amidst a tight grouping of deadlines by having a clean workspace and petting fabric was my version of a spa day. It was lovely! Entering spring break for my daughter, we took a day trip to DC and I took an absurd number of cellphone photos in the National Gallery, focusing on the late 15th through 17th centuries. The Tintoretto exhibit is installed through July 7, which was a nice treat for a spontaneous visit.

Closing out the sprint, I’d hoped to have time to whip up a bodysuit for the Oddity Prodigy book signing, based upon a character from Spacejacked by Steve Myers. As it happens, she is me! However, the Universe said “Nay”, so I ended up making my first piece of doll clothing instead. Her name is Shoop, and I’m crazy proud of my one night project.

Originally, I was going to wear Twi’lek Sparkle for Free Comic Book Day, which fell on May 4, but I was still so annoyed by not making my own Spacejacked suit that I threw myself fully into Livewire. Yes, I took a chance, didn’t sleep, and got the suit from drafting to wearable in five days (about 12 hours). The morning was wet, so not adding the foam pieces and LEDs worked out. Hanging out at our vendor table and giving a Cosplay Q&A was a happy end to two months of exhausting hobbying.

If you made it this far, congrats! You might be as tired as I am, because I still had to work, wife, and mother for most of those days, fitting in hobbying at night for about three hours. Don’t think that it stops now though–I have a commission to whip up and ren faire garb to pull out and prep for the end of the month. This costume run really has been the best, despite a few hiccups. I’ve found a renewed sense of pride in my work. I’m confident in my skills, and I’m looking forward to new costuming adventures!

I’m going to end this Me Fest before I fall asleep at the laptop. For more photos, check out IG or FB. Thanks for hanging in, Team!

Bonus Content: The Little Man requested Blue Toon Link for Free Comic Book Day, so I whipped this up in a few hours. Wooden Weapons from AllTru2U.com

Springing Back When we last left our hero, she was prepping for a slew of events and there was no end in sight for the WIP pile on the work table.

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nickelnumber91-blog · 5 years

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Coping

Road trip prep. Kids, you're in charge of the cookies.

California!

We always manage to find winter in summer.

“Well…..this is kinda...what we DO. They like to play outside—we actually go camping all the time”.

“You mean, you just go out into the woods?”

“yep”…………..

If we were living in a cartoon world his eyes would have popped out of his head and his jaw would have hit the ground.

“Huh.”

end scene.

we had the lake to ourselves.

They seem to be coping just fine.

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Source: http://inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2016/07/coping.html

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healthandfitnessrecipes-blog · 6 years

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Girls' Disney Trip - The Fitnessista

https://healthandfitnessrecipes.com/?p=1444

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday! I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long (when I missed a single day of blogging haha). There’s a lot to catch up on! I’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to and how the week is going.

First of all, thank you SO much for all of your enthusiasm with the Fit Guides! Everyone received their first month this week (it’s not too late to sign up here. When you sign up now, you’ll get the first month of your plan automatically) and the designs are soooooo gorgeous. (Julia crushed it with the designs for these. Each one is totally different! They’re all bright, fun, and easy to navigate.) It’s been really amazing to see everyone checking in through our Facebook group and being tagged in IG stories with the new workouts. I started the Lean Machine plan this week and am excited to see my personal results with such a detailed and strategic plan.

For today, let’s catch up on the weekend a bit! The girls and I enjoyed an outdoor festival at the local campus, headed to a friends’ house for brunch (+ mimosas for the adults), and on Sunday, we ventured to the happiest place on Earth.

I had heard about an outdoor event on Friday and figured it would be the perfect way to get some fresh air, enjoy some new activities, and tire the girls out a bit before bedtime. The event was SO much fun. They had great live music, tons of booths (flower crown making, face paint, midway games) and inflatables for the kiddos. They also had a little carnival ride. We rode the ride together, made flower crowns, the girls got their faces painted (it was P’s first time!) and then got some food.

We had a picnic in the grass and the girls danced to the live music under the moon. Have you guys seen Inside Out? It was definitely a core memory for me…I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching the girls dancing, chasing each other around, and eating churros with their faces painted and flower crowns.

I’d already call the weekend a success, but on Saturday, we had an awesome morning with friends. I made some quick cinnamon rolls – was skeptical about the recipe since Alton Brown’s is the STAPLE, but we were on a time crunch. They turned out really well!-

and we took said rolls over to a friend’s house so the kiddos could play and the adults could chat. The kids all had a blast, only pausing their play to grab quick bites of food. The moms all watched them outside, we conversed in full sentences (the beauty of being at someone else’s house so all the toys feel new to the kids), and sipped on mimosas. Not a bad way to start the day.

Sunday morning, we left early for Disney! We had a couple of days left on our park hoppers, so the girls and I took a little roadtrip together. I packed up everything while they were sleeping on Saturday night, so Sunday morning, all we had to do was get dressed and hop in the car.

We arrived at the hotel before noon, dropped off our luggage and took the Disney transport over to Animal Kingdom.

I had a few Fast Passes lined up for us, so we started walking to the Kilimanjaro Safaris. On the way there, we spotted Timon from Lion King and the girls wanted to meet him, so we hopped in line. I knew it would be the perfect moment to start my Disney photo-snapping spree, so I reached into my purse and realized I’d left my phone at the hotel. Such a fail! (We stopped into guest relations so I could call the Pilot and let him know we were there and I had zero communication abilities.) Even though I really missed being able to take photos/videos (especially when both of the girls were in the Lion King show finale together), it forced me to be even more present than usual. I didn’t have my watch constantly vibrating to tell me I had a notification or text, and I could just enjoy. We rode the Na’vi River Journey (so beautiful!) for our last Fast Pass, went back to the hotel to take a breather,

then headed back out to Hollywood Studios for the Disney Junior show + character dinner at Hollywood & Vine.

I’ve mentioned before that P is obsessed with Disney characters (not the human characters; the actual mascot-looking creatures in animal suits), so naturally, character dining is her JAM.

She was literally shaking with excitement waiting for the next character to come to our table. (Livi likes meeting the characters, but looooves meeting princesses, so thankfully we got to see Alice, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Sofia the First on our trip, too.)

The buffet at Hollywood & Vine is surprisingly good, like most of the Disney food. They have tons of options geared towards kiddos (a station with mini corn dogs, different veggies, rice, mac n’ cheese, etc.) + adults: mahi-mahi, plantains, various salads, mashed potatoes, risotto, shrimp, baked salmon, soups, carving station, etc.

We walked around Hollywood Studios for another hour or so, then headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

Monday morning, we were off to Magic Kingdom!

We did all of the usual favorites (Little Mermaid, teacups, Philhar-Magic, Small World, Tomorrowland Speedway) and stopped for a quick lunch in Tomorrowland.

Of course, we topped it off with sweet treats from the confectionary.

I always tell myself I’ll probably just have half since it’s usually directly after a meal, but no. 10/10 times I eat the entire time with a creeper smile on my face. It’s the best ever.

So many times during the weekend, Liv was like, ”This is the best day ever.” She said it during the music festival, after brunch and multiple times while we were at Disney. While most weekends don’t usually include this much official fun, it definitely felt like a special treat to spend some much time out and about enjoying different activities together. We’ve definitely hit the ages when traveling doesn’t feel like work; it’s just amazing to get to spend time somewhere new together.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!

When you go for a quick roadtrip, where do you usually go?

Favorite must-have destination dessert?

Gina

The post Girls’ Disney Trip appeared first on The Fitnessista.

Credits: Original Content Source

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sportsandfitnessinfo · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://fitnessandhealthpros.com/fitness/friday-faves-2/

Friday Faves

Hey hey! The weekend is here again!! Aaaaaand happy St. Patrick’s day! This is one of my favorite holidays and it always brings back fond memories. I would Irish step dance in the parade, and even though my feet would be numb by the end, I knew that soda bread was waiting for me at the festival. There are a lot of fun St. Patrick’s day events in Tucson, and I’m so excited to take the girls to celebrate. Of course, I’ll also be making the standard corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. We’ll drink green Lucky Irish girls and all will be great in the world.

In standard Friday fashion, here are some faves from the week and around the web. I always enjoy putting this little list together each week, and love when you share your faves with me, too. Please let me know what you’re loving in the comments section if you’d like to join in the party!

A weekend getaway to Sedona. We’re packing up the kiddos to head to one of my very favorite places. I’ll be sure to share the adventures on IG and Snapchat! I’ll also do a recap post here on the blog next week.

(Please let me know if you have any family-friendly suggestions in Sedona! You always have the best recommendations.)

This rose liqueur. You guyssssssss. When I saw they had a Vom Fass at the Venetian Shops, I literally squealed with joy. (Is it bad that an alcohol store makes me so happy? Don’t answer that haha.) I told the Pilot we had to go in, because I had picked up some incredible Irish Honey Whiskey for him in Sedona, quite a while ago, and raved about the amazingness that is Vom Fass. They have liqueurs, whiskey, olive oil, vinegars, and tons of flavor-infused alcohols directly from the cast. You can also taste before you buy, just to make sure you love it. The rose liqueur (<— I spell that wrong every single time) caught my eye with its light pink hue, and I decided to try a little bit. It was EVERYTHING. It has a light, bright rose flavor, and the guy who helped us out told me it was ridiculous with Prosecco. Happening.

We also got a Latte Macchiato, which made Bailey’s taste like sad water. Cheers to these fun finds.

The maxi dress I wore in Vegas is on super sale if you want to check it out. (Express has so many cute dresses right now for spring!)

18 shoes from the 90’s you forgot you were obsessed with.

Little changes for better days.

This is such a fun activity to do with kiddos and you can get your seeds for freeeeeeeee.

Tips for eating more salads.

The family from the hilarious BBC video speaks. Just when I thought I couldn’t love them more.

I think the video was viewed and shared so many times because it’s real life. I’ve held Liv, who was very small and crying at the time, during a Skype call once and then vowed to only do conference calls when the Pilot is home or we have a sitter hahah. It’s hard to work from home with kiddos running around, and since we’ve been in Tucson, I’ve kind of been flying by the seat of my pants. (We had a beloved babysitter in San Diego, who was a part of our family, and she came over about twice a week for a few hours to help with P. She was amazing, and we all miss her dearly. I still text her every now and again to send pics of the girls and see if she’s bored of San Diego and wants to come to Valdosta haha.)

Our babysitter from when Liv was a baby watches the girls for date nights, but has school during the day, so I interviewed a handful of potential babysitters when we got here. None of them were the right fit, so I decided to just work during nap times and stay up late. After one week of staying up until 2am and still behind on everything, I put the call out on my personal Facebook page to see if anyone knew an awesome daytime babysitter. One of my good friends who is getting her PhD said she could help out and it has been INCREDIBLE. Not only have I been able to catch up with one of my closest Tucson friends, but the girls love her, too (duh). She has come over a few times, P has had the best time playing with her, and for the first time in months, I’ve blasted through my to-do list.

(Eating a quiche and writing at one of my fave coffee shops)

Now that I kinda of have my life back in order, we get to move again and restart the entire process. Good times, good times. Speaking of the move, I’ve done literally nothing to prepare. If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute.

Swimming in March. Gotta love Tucson weather.

(P liked it for about 4 minutes. I held her in my lap like a burrito and we watched the Pilot and Livi splash around.)

This smoothie looks SO good and I can’t wait to try this quinoa breakfast bowl.

These kitchen fails made me LOL for real.

This Caulipower pizza!! I was so excited to see this in the freezer section at Whole Foods. It was SO GOOD, and the ingredients were fantastic. I can’t wait to try the plain crust and add my own toppings. I’ll definitely be picking it up again.

A date night at Penca. Penca is one of the spots that’s been on our list to try, but we tend to go back to the ol’ favorites. I’m determined to venture to some new restaurants in the next few weeks! We decided to give it a whirl, and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere is quaint and romantic, with little candles, and fun loud Mexican music. The chips, salsa, guac and margaritas were my favorite part of the meal. They make the tortillas and chips in house, and they were so fresh and delicious. I ordered the chile relleno for my entree, and while I liked that it wasn’t breaded and was stuffed with veggies, I’m getting the tacos next time. 🙂

Walking around downtown:

See ya soon on the Family page with some Livi-isms. <3

Happy Friday, friends!

xoxo

Gina

Looking for a workout? Try this TRX circuit! So many of my fave exercises are here.