#drawn in like...28 mins i think

[gomzdrawfr]

Based on what my friend suggested from wild west Gaz

said idea

[snowysosturn]

Allies or Affiliates? - Chris Sturniolo Part 7

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Finale

Pairing : Y/n x Chris Sturniolo

Summary : Law student Y/n’s life takes a turn when she reconnects with Chris, her brief teenage flame who is now a dealer for a dangerous Boston drug gang. As their bond reignites, Y/n is drawn into Chris’s tumultuous world, where rival gangs clash and loyalty is everything. Balancing her love for Chris with her own ambitions, can their connection survive the chaos that threatens to pull them apart?

Warnings : MDNI, mentions of drugs, taking drugs, smoking weed, angst, mentions of shooting, drinking, cursing, partying

Chris’ POV

I jolted awake, groggy and disoriented as my phone screen glowed in the darkness. The clock read 2:04 a.m., and a notification flashed: 

Nate: “????” 

He’d been texting me earlier when I was at Y/n’s. "Yo, you got any weed left? Ran out over here." I didn’t want to just leave her abruptly again so I ignored the message at the time, but it sounds like he's strung out right now. I glanced over at Y/n, fast asleep, and my chest tightened. She looked so peaceful, so safe. 

Carefully, I slipped out of her bed, trying not to wake her. After everything tonight, how easy it was to slip back into things, even so much that we fell asleep together, I didn’t want her to think I was sneaking out without a word, so I left her a note on top of her college books:

"Didn’t want to overstay my welcome, but I didn’t want to wake you, either. See you tomorrow at the party."

With one last look, I pulled her balcony door open and stepped out into the quiet night.

When I got to the car, I texted Nate back: I’ll be at your place in 20 mins.

The drive to meet him was quick, the streets empty at this time of night. When I pulled up to Nates, he was already waiting, leaning against his car. He looked up as I approached, his expression casual, but I knew him well enough to see the exhaustion in his eyes.

“Yo, what’s up?” I asked, handing him a bag from my pocket.

“Appreciate it, man. You saved my night.” Nate replied with a tired smile, taking the bag and walking toward the side gate of his house. I followed him out back and lit a joint that I already pre rolled , taking a long drag before exhaling. Nate joined me, rolling his own joint with the weed I’d just given him. For a minute, we stood in silence, the smoke swirling around us in the cool night air.

“So.. how was tonight?” Nate finally asked, glancing over at me with a smirk.

I knew what he was asking without needing clarification. “It was good” I said, a smile pulling at my lips as I thought back to my time with Y/n. “Really good, actually. Y/n invited me to this party tomorrow night” I started, watching him out of the corner of my eye. “Some college thing.”

Nate raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. “A college party? Since when are you about that scene?”

“Since about.. Three hours ago, I guess.” I chuckled, running a hand through my hair. “It’d just be cool if you came along, you know?”

He took a slow drag, letting the smoke drift into the night air, thoughtful. “You serious? You really want me to tag along to hang out with you and your new girl?”

“She’s not-” I started, but Nate cut me off with a knowing look.

“Alright, alright, not ‘your girl’” he said, smirking. “But she might as well be, judging by the way you’re acting.”

I shrugged, feeling my face warm slightly. He had a point, though I wouldn’t admit it. Y/n wasn’t just anyone, she was different, and being around her felt easy. But I knew Nate had a fair point, too - our lives did mesh with the college crowd, but not in the exact way it did with Y/n’s.

Nate chuckled, finally giving me a nod. “Yeah, fine, I’ll come. Could use a laugh watching you play boyfriend. Plus, someone’s gotta make sure you don’t mess things up too bad.”

I rolled my eyes, shoving his shoulder. “Like you’re the expert on relationships? Her friend Willow is coming too remember her?”

”Remember her?! You should’ve just started with that I would’ve said yes straight away, save yourself the grilling.” Nate exclaimed, I laughed with how excited this seemed to make him.

Nate raised an eyebrow. “All jokes aside, you serious about her?”

I shrugged, but I knew he could see right through me. “I don’t know, man. I guess.. yeah. She’s different.” I paused, feeling the weight of it all, and then I couldn’t help but smile.

Nate took a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air. “Look, I get it, but how are you gonna handle this, Chris? You know the kind of life we’re in. You think a girl like her would stick around if she knew the whole truth?”

The question hung in the air, heavy and real. I hated how much he was right. No matter how I tried to spin it, Y/n and I lived in completely different worlds. She was doing things with her life, and here I was, getting dragged deeper into a life I never wanted. And yet, every time I thought about her, I found myself hoping maybe there was a way it could all work out.

"I know it's complicated. But I'm not trying to drag her into anything."

"She's already part of it just by being around you" Nate said, taking another drag. "You need to figure this out before things get serious."

He was right, of course. And yet, how could I just walk away now? "I'll figure it out" I muttered, though I wasn’t sure how. "I'm not letting her go again."

Nate gave me a knowing look. "Just be careful, Chris. You can't have both lives forever."

Y/n’s Pov

When I woke up, I stretched my legs out to feel the other side of the bed cold and empty. I blinked at the morning light streaming in, feeling around, half expecting to find Chris still lying beside me. My mind spun back to last night, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d felt any of the same comfort and ease I had. Had he thought about staying?

Then, as I moved to sit up, I noticed a small note resting on my stack of books by the bed. I reached over, picking it up and smiling as I unfolded the paper.

Didn’t want to overstay my welcome, but I didn’t want to wake you, either. See you tomorrow at the party.  – C.

There was a tiny flutter in my chest, and I let myself feel it, just for a moment. He had thought enough to leave a note, something sweet, even careful about it. I ran my fingers over his handwriting, and the thought stayed with me like a pleasant hum as I went through my morning routine.

Despite the excitement of last night, reality called, and my neglected stack of assignments waited, staring at me almost daring me to procrastinate. I settled into the day, tackling each piece of reading and essay with a strange mix of focus and distraction, my mind constantly pulling back to him. The way he’d laughed, his guarded smiles, and his thoughtfulness made me feel like we’d shared something real, even though it was only one night.

By the time I finished my work, it was mid afternoon, and I was feeling both accomplished and relieved. I glanced at my phone, wondering if he’d texted, but instead, I saw a message from Willow.

Willow: “Pregame at mine before the party? Sarah’s coming too.”

I quickly typed back, “Sounds good! Be there around 7.”

After getting ready, I packed my essentials into a small bag, ran a brush through my hair, and threw on jeans and a nice top. I made my way into central Boston and when I finally walked up to Willow’s apartment, I could already feel a buzz in the air. Music played softly in the background as I stepped inside, and the warm scent of Willow’s signature vanilla candles mixed with the distinct whiff of fruity cocktails.

“There she is!” she said, reaching over to pour me a drink. “How’s our little romantic after her date the other night?” She waggled her eyebrows, and I rolled my eyes, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks.

“Relax” I laughed, taking the drink. “He kind left abruptly the other night, said something about work.. but he surprised me last night and made up for it so...”

“One night can be all it takes.” She said, giving me a knowing look. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she raised her cup to her lips, grinning before taking a sip. “Trust me.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “I’m taking it slow.”

But the butterflies in my stomach told a different story, and I felt almost embarrassed by how excited I was to see Chris again tonight.

Shortly after, Sarah arrived and the  three of us settled into an easy rhythm, our drinks enhancing our laughter as we caught up on the week and swapped stories. The topic inevitably shifted to party prep, and Sarah held up her cup.

“Alright, tonight is strictly drinks for me. No funny business, no more lines or pills or anything. I need to save money.” She gave a dramatic sigh, her expression half joking, half serious.

Willow shot her a sceptical look, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Im holding you to that! You say it all the time but cave.”

“No I mean it this time!” Sarah declared, clinking her cup with ours. “The comedowns the last few times have been too much.”

Sarah was a free spirit and the ultimate party animal. She never knew when to stop. Once everyone was fucked up from drinking she’d continue on by taking a line or two of coke so she could sober up and keep going, often staying on it till 9am. I never knew how any of these drugs made you feel and I didn’t plan on finding out, I knew people liked to experiment and that was fine, it was personally just never for me.

After another hour of predrinking, swapping stories, and listening to music, we decided it was time to head to Tyler’s party. As we stepped outside, the streets were already buzzing with people heading in the same direction, cars lined up along the road, and faint music pulsing from a distance. Tyler’s house came into view, a massive, stately place that always seemed like it was waiting for moments like this. A few people were already gathered on the front porch, laughing loudly and holding red cups, the bass of the music vibrating through the air even from outside.

The second we walked in, it was like stepping into a different world. The living room was packed, filled with people moving in every direction, chatting, laughing, weaving between one another, with drinks in hand and a thick, dizzying energy filling the space. The unmistakable scent of alcohol mingled with cologne and perfume, and beneath it, something a little stronger that I could only assume was weed or maybe even more. A couple of people shouted greetings as we made our way through, and I could tell Willow and Sarah were in their element.

“Alright, let’s grab some drinks and find a good spot to dance.” Willow said, expertly guiding us through the crowd to the kitchen, which was just as packed. The counters were lined with an assortment of bottles, mixers, and what looked like a never ending pile of red cups.

People kept funnelling in from the street. Tyler’s parties always attracted half the campus, and tonight was no exception. The lights were dim, the music was loud, and people were dancing, shouting, and laughing in every room.

The three of us were dancing when Sarah, who had been standing beside me, suddenly froze. Following her gaze, I noticed her ex boyfriend, Dylan, who had just walked in. He gave her a brief, casual wave, but it was enough to make her tense, her emotions flickering in her eyes, a mix of excitement and vulnerability. She barely spared us a word before she headed toward him, leaving Willow and me alone. 

“She still has feelings for him doesn’t she?” I ask Willow.

“Yeah, he definitely does too.” Willow replies.

We pull our gaze off Sarah and her ex, and soon I spot Chris and Nate as they navigated through the crowd. A wave of excitement swept over me as Chris caught my eye, his face lighting up as he spotted me. He raised his hand in a small wave before weaving his way over with Nate by his side.

“You made it!” I greeted Chris, and he leaned in for a quick hug, his arm squeezing me just a bit before he stepped back.

“Wouldn’t miss a chance to hang out with you” he said, his voice warm and steady.

Nate gave Willow a grin, his eyes lingering a bit longer on her than usual. She caught his gaze, smiling back in a way that suggested she didn’t mind the attention one bit. In the chaos of the party around us, it felt like the four of us were in our own little bubble, everyone else fading into the background. We moved into the living room to try and find a place to sit. The room was chaotic, but it added to the vibe, making it feel like we were part of something wild and unpredictable.

After a little while, Willow nudged Nate and tilted her head toward the staircase. “Wanna check out the view from upstairs?”

Nate raised an eyebrow, smirking as he glanced up at the steps. “Lead the way” he said, following her up with a casual confidence that made me chuckle.

I watched them disappear, giving Willow a teasing smile as she tossed me a wink over her shoulder. Once they were gone, it was just me and Chris. Over the course of an hour our conversation drifted from topic to topic, the laughter coming easily as we shared stories about friends, gossip about people we used to know and the kind of random things that only seemed to happen at parties like this.

“Do you think they’re planning to start a secret society up there?” I joked, nudging Chris playfully.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “If they do, I want in. I could use a secret handshake. You know, something cool.”

I raised an eyebrow, a smile dancing on my lips. “Like what? You strike me as the type to throw up gang signs.” I laughed. “Actually, have you seen how tense things have been lately with the gangs?

“Yeah, it’s been rough. It’s hard to ignore the tension in the air around the city.” Chris said, becoming more serious.

I bit my lip, glancing around the chaotic party. “The shootings are what freak me out like, what if one of these people we’re surrounded by is somehow tied to it? It’s wild how quickly things can escalate. One minute you’re at a party, and the next, you’re ducking for cover.”

But before the conversation could continue, Willow and Nate returned, both of them looking slightly dishevelled but grinning. Nate gave Chris a quick nod, and they both headed to the kitchen, saying they’d grab drinks for all of us. Willow slipped an arm around my shoulder as soon as they were gone, her eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and mischief.

“So how was your alone time with Chrissss..” she drawled, giving me a playful nudge. “He’s cute and sweet. What’s not to like?”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, my smile impossible to hide. “I know, right? But it’s so early, Willow. I’m scared I’m falling too quickly.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes you just have to let things happen. Quit overthinking it.” She leaned in closer, her tone dropping to a whisper. “Besides, the way he looks at you? Girl, he’s definitely feeling it too.”

“You cant talk though Ms. DissapearingToABedroomForAnHour.” I say, giving Willow a cheeky grin.

“Oh its nothing serious just a bit of fun! I actually never peed after so I need the restroom. Come with me?”

“Sure” I said, following her through the packed hallway, manoeuvring around groups of people laughing and shouting. The crowd only seemed to grow thicker as we approached the bathroom. I was about to knock on the door, but Willow nudged it open without hesitation.

And then, we froze.

Leaning over the bathroom sink was Sarah, clearly in the middle of taking a line. Her eyes widened as she straightened, brushing her nose with the back of her hand as she turned to face us, looking both guilty and defiant.

My mouth dropped open in shock. “Sarah..”

Willow folded her arms, her disappointment evident in the crease of her brows. “Are you serious? you said you weren’t doing this anymore.”

Sarah’s face reddened, and she looked away, avoiding our eyes. “I know, okay? I just.. I don’t know. Dylan had some and he offered. He said he wasn’t going to do it either but he ran into Chris his dealer on the way in here so he was like fuck it why not.”

Chris? His dealer?

There’s no way we’re referring to the same person right now? Are we? 

I suddenly felt heat rise to my face.

Chris walked into the party right behind Dylan.

a/n : CATS OUT THE BAG

taglist: @mattybearnard @sturn-33 @ncm9696 @yourfavsturniologirl @crazy4jewel @sodakid1234 @stupendoustreewinner @lovealwayssturniolos @matthewsturniolosss @m4ttsmunch @loveexxx @ilusa @starkeyszn @wonnieeluvvr @dylnblue @valxrieq @maggot3647 @cigarettecemetary @ribread03 @chrisstvrns @bandasaruswrx @noplaceissafeanymore @amexiass @witchofthehour @mattssgf @jetaimevous @v33angel @ivysturnss @urmom69lol @ashlishes @watercolorskyy @sturnioloshottiekay @amelia-sturniolo3 @imjusthereforthesturniolosmut @pvssychicken @alizestvrnss @lvrsturniolo @slutniolo @spaghetti835928383 @marrykisskilled @sturnsxplr-25 @bxtchboy69 @vickytaa @anikaistg @matts-girlfriend @lvrsturniolo o

[so-much-for-subtlety]

So, I've been reviewing all the timelines that are available around UHC CEO killing.

There's some conspiracy theories going around that he couldn't get from UWS to midtown on an ebike - with people putting in biking trip times for google maps shows 20-25 mins.

But if he went from hostel to Central Park entrance on 100th street, and then from 100th street to midtown that's 3.3 miles, and on an ebike that does 28 mph that's 7 minutes which exactly aligns with security footage timestamps (and I know from personal experience that this is possible going through Central Park because you don't have any stop lights - and at this time of morning no tourists either).

Assuming 28 mph ebike that also matches times for leaving the scene and going back up through central park etc (and gives him plenty of time to stop and drop backpack somewhere).

But there are still some things that I find odd:

why would he bike at 28mph to the scene potentially risk getting caught with a gun on person? why not just leave earlier and bike at legal speeds?

he seemed to be around the scene for 33 mins before deciding to go to Starbucks which was about a 24 min roundtrip - if he'd got there early to stake out and wait for CEO, why did he leave after 33 mins to take 24 mins out of stakeout time just to get coffee/water/granola bars?

on walk to Starbucks cameras show him existing 57th st station - it's totally plausible that he entered between 55th & 56th and exited between 56th & 57th (no swipe needed) but WHY? also MTA says they have had security cameras installed at all stations since 2021, so why no footage of him in the station? from whatever place he entered subway, he would have been able to see the Starbucks across the street.

15 mins before shooting, on walk back from Starbucks he's on camera with phone up to ear, and he gets to scene just 6 mins before CEO gets there. Did he get a tip from someone that CEO was leaving?

Here's a map I've drawn (black for walk from scene to Starbucks, red for walk from Starbucks back to scene & shooting, and green for leaving the scene after shooting) Anything with a timestamp is verified by camera footage. Points C & J are just my assumptions.

I think he probably had his bike locked up around point C:

and so the trip to Starbucks might have also been a chance to check that his bike was still there (by then it would have been locked up for over 30 mins).

But after already waiting at scene for 30 mins, why make quite a lengthly detour to Starbucks unless he'd received a message that CEO wouldn't be there for another 30 mins? And on the walk back to the scene from Starbucks, he also look a long route back. Maybe walking off nerves, but even so unless you knew the time the CEO would be at the scene you'd not take an unnecessary long route back right?

To me, leaving the scene after waiting ~30 mins, and then arriving back at the scene just 6 mins before CEO arrives all seems like he was in contact with someone who had info around CEOs movements.

The quick dip into the subway doesn't make sense. I think he knew the area well, and had chosen a place to lock up bike for a fast exit to central park. Maybe just a red herring but seems so strange (maybe he dropped something off? picked something up? met someone? if anything happened it happened fast because timestamps show he was from point B to point D in just a couple minutes and it's a 3 min walk).

[catch-me-hello]

Make Mate 1, Episode 3: rehearsal staleMATEs

We’ve been promised rankings today, people! Let’s dive right in. The show picks up where we left off, with 36 numbered spaces on the stage and 36 nervous trainees. For now, it looks like we’re still stuck with Not-Xiumin as our host. Time to find out where these trainees will stand.

Number 36: Chen Shiau Fu. I have no idea who this guy is or what team he was on. He didn’t get any real screen time. In a confessional, he vows to do better in the next mission. You have nowhere to go but up, my guy.

Number 35: Kai. This is our banana milk-loving Japanese trainee from Team Fiction.

Number 34: Lee Jang Hee. I got nothing on this guy either. The voters must have also drawn a blank.

Number 33: Ki Hyung Joon. Our clunky trainee from Team Fiction who wants to be more famous than mustard greens. He’s not off to a great start.

Number 32: Kim Hak Sung. One of my picks from Team Very Good, and our defector from North Korea. He’s been overshadowed by his teammates and needs to make his presence known going forward.

Number 31: Kim Seung Ho. I got nothing. Number 30: Choi Min Joon. Nothing in my notes about him either.

Number 29: Jung Jae Young. Team Breathless. The 200-song dancing machine.

Number 28: Kim Sun Yub. Team Miss Right. He had friction with teammate Kim Se Gon and called him out on it.

Number 27: Aki. This guy made zero impression on me. He’s not anywhere in my notes.

Number 26: Han Yu Seop, another one of my picks. Our swaggering guitar player from Team Very Good. He’s made quite an impression, so I don’t know why he’s ranked so low, other than my proven track record of not predicting the final group very well. I’m still pulling for him.

Number 25: Kim Se Gon. Ah, yes. The Leader of Team Miss Right who stirred up drama by not showing up to rehearsals during a fight with his own team.

Number 24: Jung Hyun Wook. Who? Number 23: Takuma. No idea. Number 22: Jo Seung Hyun. Okay, sure.

three guys who probably won't win

Number 21: An Xin. That’s quite a drop from Number 6. He was also the top vote-getter on Team Miss Right.

Number 20: Lee Do Ha. Team Fiction’s top vote-getter. Apparently, that didn’t help him much in these rankings.

Number 19: Seo Ji Ho. Team Be Mine. Dreamy. Fans swoon for him.

Number 18: Yoon Ho Hyun. I have no idea who this is either. He’s the rare visual stunner who doesn’t stand out.

Number 17: Shin Won Chun. Team Growl. Judo champ, Triple Crown swimmer, boxer, horseback rider. None of those skills are helping him on this show.

Number 16: Midori. Team Hello Future and TikTok dancer with 35 million views. Dropped from Number 8.

Number 15: Jo Jae Hyun. No idea who this is.

Number 14: Miraku. One of my picks. Japanese contestant on Team Breathless. Huge ASTRO fan who danced to “One” in front of the original choreographers. Fell apart after his voice cracked. Dropped from Number 9.

Number 13: Jeon Joon Pyo. Team Growl. He’s the one who got a shoutout from Riize on social media after dancing to “Siren” at a festival.

Number 12: Jia Hao. Team Very Good. The dance Center of the show’s theme song. Dropped from Number 5.

Number 11: Kim Shi On. Just out of the Top 10. Team Breathless. Most flexible, despite physical limitations. Top vote-getter on his team. Dropped from Number 3.

Now for the Top 10. These guys get to stand on glittery pedestals.

Number 10: Noh Gi Hyun. Team Be Mine. Got the Mate Pick for Most Popular. I’m not impressed with his dancing. Girls love him. Top vote-getter on his team. Kept his Number 10 spot from the last ranking.

Number 9: Seo Yoon Deok. Top vote-getter on Team Very Good. Our scuba diver. Those pedestals look really high up. I think I’d get dizzy. There’s not even a safety rail. You’d think a certified rescue diver would notice this.

Number 8: Lin. Team Growl. Dropped from Number 1 in the previous rankings.

Number 7: Jang Hyun Joon. Team Be Mine, and main vocalist for the show’s theme song. Dropped from Number 4, but he’s still in the game.

Number 6: Yoon Jae Yong.Team Fiction, and that’s all I’ve got on the guy.

Number 5: Kim Seung Ho from Team U. Wait, this is the second Kim Seung Ho we’re seeing in these rankings. The other one is Number 31. Did the translator team mess this up?

Number 4: Choi Han Gyul. Fan favorite and top vote-getter of Team U. Ridiculously cute.

Number 3: Bing Fan, one of my picks. Top vote-getter from Team Hello Future. K-drama fan and visual stunner. Solid and respected Leader. Almost lost his voice before the performance because no one on this show is looking out for these kids. I hope he knows a good personal injury attorney.

Number 2: Jung Hyun Joon, Team Breathless. That’s all I have on this guy, and he’s the runner-up.

Number 1: Jo Min Jae. Top vote-getter on Team Growl. Six Singers descendant. Related to famous singer/songwriter Paul Kim. His family must be very proud. Up from Number 7 last time.

I didn’t realize how 36 contestants is still a LOT until I had to flip through my notes to find details on them. It also doesn’t help that, yet again, the translators keep changing the spelling or order of these names. Looking up the correct names or trying to find out why there are two trainees named Kim Seung Ho might reveal spoilers, so just bear with me.

N-X asks Jo Min Jae how it feels to be in the top spot. Our trainee is clearly in shock. He says, “Since you gave me such a great opportunity, I’ll work harder in the rest of the stages. Thank you so much.”

The other Top 10s give similar responses. They see their rankings as a challenge to keep getting better. The show has put faith in them, and they don’t want to let anyone down. I’m pretty sure if this were an American show, we’d be getting responses like, “Whoo-HOOOO! I’m NUMBER ONE, BITCHES!” and then they’d take out their guns and fire celebratory rounds into the ceiling. We are a very interesting country.

Okay! So the first stage is over. It looks like we’re not doing any eliminations today, so now we move on to a lovely day in May outside an office building. Our contestants are heading somewhere with luggage, and I’m getting Hot Blood flashbacks. Guys, if they try to put you on a ferry, RUN.

We may never see this young man again.

Looks like they’re getting on a big red bus with the MA1 logo on it. They’re excited to be going on an adventure. I’ve seen enough of these shows to know that something scary is waiting at the end of this journey. Soldiers, tents, snow, coffins, flags, Julien Kang … this is going to end in tears, isn’t it?

Suddenly, we flash back to the venue right after the rankings are announced, and the trainees are still standing on their numbers. An announcement is being made. The candidates are standing in mirror lineups across from each other. This has to do with MA1’s special rule called MATE RULE. They will be divided into their even and odd number rankings, Teams A and B.

The announcer now tells them the next stage will be a BOOT CAMP I KNEW IT! Guys, get off that bus NOW!

The alleged purpose of this boot camp is to help the groups bond. Right. Listen boys, there should be an emergency exit at the back of that bus. Wait for a red light and make a break for it.

Back to the bus. The boys are singing and waving at the cameras in the ceiling. We leave Seoul and make our way to a huge mudflat. There’s a resort that looks nice, but this is a weird place to put it.

Welcome to the beautiful Hurricane Aftermath Resort!

Inside, the rooms are clean and comfortable, which is good because the boot camp will be held indoors today due to the rain. First, each team has to elect a leader and come up with a group cheer. We see a few rounds of Rock Paper Scissors. Noh Gi Hyun is chosen to lead Team B, and Seo Yoon Deok leads Team A. Each team does their cheer, and I love that our guitarist Han Yu Seop is good at trash-talking.

Now for our first challenge. It’s a pull-up match. Great. Because that has so much to do with K-pop. After that, they do a long-jump challenge. I pretty much fast-forwarded through this.

Finally, back to what we’re here for. Everyone gathers around a stage, and a large video screen flickers to life. Our trainees are getting a special mission. It’s called the “Legendary K-pop Mega-Member Mission.” Both teams have 24 hours to prepare their performances.

Right away, our rookies start freaking out. But as a semi-veteran of these survival shows, I know 24 hours is incredibly generous. Our Wild Idol trainees had a mere one or two hours to put some of their performances together, often outdoors in the pouring rain. A full 24 hours is a luxury. In fact, as I listen to these trainees complaining, I feel like a K-pop senior citizen. “Why, back in MY day, we had TWELVE MINUTES to write original rap lyrics, in the pouring rain, uphill both ways, and you never heard ME complain…”

The instructional video continues. Group A will perform “We Are the Future” by H.O.T. Many of the trainees were born after this song came out in 1997 have have never heard of the group or the song. Apparently, H.O.T. is a First Generation idol group that was huge in the 90s. (Generations are classifcations of K-pop groups that I haven’t figured out yet. Monsta X is Third Generation. TAN is Fourth Generation. I don’t know how it works, but that’s on my list for another time.)

Now for Group B. They’ll be doing a song by Shinhwa called “Perfect Man.” This song is from 2002, so I’m assuming Group B would know that song the way I know classic Beatles songs. According to one of the trainees, BTS covered this song, so they definitely know it. We see a video of the choreography, and these are full-on beast idol dance moves, and Han Yu Seop is on this team. He is very excited about doing this song.

We cut to Han Yu Seop in a confessional, and he is PSYCHED for this. “If we all focus and perform it,” he says, “we’ll be able to move people.” That’s the spirit! I think he sees the opportunity to move up in the rankings.

The video isn’t finished. The winning group will earn special benefit points. Oh yay. Math.

Finally, our teams go to their separate practice rooms. Team Perfect Man elects Jia Hao as their Leader, and Team We Are the Future chooses Jeon Joon Pyo. Right away, we see the challenges of leading a group of 18 dancers. Especially when the Leaders are rookies. Both Leaders are getting frustrated, trying to keep everyone in sync as they rehearse through the night.

Finally, it’s showtime. Our stage has LED lights creating a waterfall effect on the back wall, so I’ll call this the Waterfall Stage. Someone is waiting as our trainees arrive. Could it really be … YES! FINALLY! Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Xiumin from EXO!

He's here! He's really, finally here!

Our trainees are starstruck, and I’m right there with them. In confessionals, the guys talk about how he’s a role model for them. For me, his group changed my life when I went to YouTube looking for more K-pop after becoming a BTS fan and found the “MAMA” video. EXO is responsible for the K-pop essays and the entire Recap Project I eventually started. Respect must be paid.

Xiumin introduces himself as their MC MATE and says he’ll be joining them from now on. Thank goodness. I hope we’re officially done with N-X. Xiumin tells them the songs chosen for all the missions on this show are pulled from all Generations, covering the CD, MP3, and streaming audiences. The two songs for this mission are from the CD Generation. We’re getting schooled in the classics. Now to meet the judges. We already know Vata. He brings along another member of the WE DEM BOYZ crew, Yeongbin. We also meet two new special C MATES. Harimu is from a group called 1MILLION. Simeez is from La Chica. We hear Harimu’s loud, cheerful voice before we see her, and I immediately love her energy. These two are also a choreography duo as well as K-pop idols.

The judges go up to a second floor viewing area, giving them a good view of the performances. Team Perfect Man will go first. They are very nervous. And we’re getting a flashback to tell us why. Good grief with these timelines.

We’re in the big rehearsal room. Jia Hao is leading the team, and several trainees are having trouble keeping up. Some are moving a beat ahead of the others, and some a beat behind. American dance pop artists might overlook that, but in K-pop groups, precision synchronization is everything. Team Perfect Man has to be in perfect sync, or they will bomb.

With each practice, they actually seem to be getting worse. Several of them are clearly tired and frustrated. Finally, when Jia Hao is at the end of his rope, C MATES Vata and Yeongbin arrive to check on progress. The team performs the choreo for them, bumping into each other and losing track of the steps, and our professional dancers look more and more worried with each mistake.

When it finally ends, Vata looks like he needs a drink or twelve. He demands to know why the weak links in the group aren’t able to learn the steps. He’s really pissed, and I don’t blame him. He makes a good point about how the talented dancers who have clearly been rehearsing are overshadowed because the viewers’ eyes are drawn to the ones stumbling around, out of step with the rest. “The worst one in the crew determines the grade,” Vata says, “because he steals the show.” Very well said.

Chastened by this, our boys get back to work. The better dancers start working individually with the weak links. There’s a more determined spirit in the room. They dance with higher energy.

Will it pay off? Time to find out. Back to our Waterfall Stage. It’s showtime.

I’ve never seen a group this large doing a mission before. It’s hard enough for a group of five or six to keep switching positions. This is a group of 18, and their transitions are seamless. Our judges are over the moon, and Team We Are the Future are nervous.

The judges give special shout-outs to Team Leader Jia Hao, as well as Miraku (one of my picks). Jo Seung Hyun, the Assistant Leader, had great expression and looked like he wanted to destroy the stage. Noh Gi Hyun gets praise as well. His dancing, which originally didn’t impress me back in the auditions, has definitely improved. Chen Shiau Fu is praised for the energy he brought to the choreo. He killed the Killing Part.

Others don’t fare so well. Yoon Ho Hyun made a lot of mistakes. He was a beat slow the entire time. He’s a visual stunner, but he’s just not a good dancer. Lee Do Ha, who also did badly in practice, clearly still hadn’t learned the steps. These two are already ranked low, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to be eliminated.

Xiumin tells Team We Are the Future to get ready. They get into formation and do a group cheer, which is cute. This is one motivated group. The judges are impressed with their team spirit. But of course, these survival shows don’t let us stay happy for long, so it’s time for the Flashback Formula. Down the rabbit hole of misery and ominous foreshadowing we go.

Jang Hyun Joon, the Assistant Leader, is teaching everyone the steps. Leader Jeon Joon Pyo is off by himself, watching the choreo on a tablet and taking notes. We find out that earlier, he tasked Jang Hyun Joon with teaching the choreo while he focused on the big picture.

After taking notes for a while, he announces he’s come up with the formation. He sets everyone up in position and then tells Jang Hyun Joon to take over again while he runs back to his notes. I think I already know where this is going.

Practice does not go well. I’m no expert, but I’ve seen enough of these shows to know that formation and steps are interwoven. Choreography is one huge project with many moving parts, and it needs to flow and breathe like a living creature. This isn’t an assembly line. This is art. It also doesn’t help that this particular project has 18 dancers. Even our Dance Master judges would find this challenging.

Everyone is having trouble learning the steps in this new formation, and their Leader is off in his own little world. After a frustrating several hours, they go back to the dorm and start pillow-fighting. Jeon Joon Pyo is still off by himself, reviewing his notes. He stays up late into the night, studying the formation, while everyone else sleeps.

The next day, with 10 hours to go until showtime, they are all back in rehearsal. C MATES Vata and Yeongbin show up again. The group tells them they have practiced through the first verse. I didn’t realize they hadn’t gone further than that, and judging by Vata’s reaction, this is news to him as well.

Team We Are the Future shows them the choreo so far. It’s clunky and awkward. It looks like three different groups are dancing to different songs while crammed together in an elevator.

Yeongbin calls it a disaster and says he’s not sure if they can improve in time for the show. Dude, have you ever watched K-pop survival shows before? It’s all part of the Flashback Formula. These guys will magically improve over the next few hours. Just call it a day and go grab a beer.

Our boys huddle, and Jeon Joon Pyo has an epiphany. He says, “Working hard is good, but starting now, we need to focus on doing well.” Wait. All this time, you haven’t been trying to do well? What did you think – (exasperated sigh). Never mind. Go ahead. Give “doing well” a shot. It’s just crazy enough to work.

Or not. They keep practicing, but they’re not doing any weller. They’re started to get short-tempered and snap at each other. One of them bursts into tears. When we pull out of the flashback and return to the Waterfall Stage, all I can think is that this team must be exhausted. The music starts. Here goes nothing.

Not bad. Not perfect, but not bad. The judges have a much better opinion, saying it felt like watching a performance by Seventeen. Takuma, Bing Fan, and Jung Hyun Joon get singled out for praise. Bing Fan is told he’s invented a new dance style called “Handsome Dancing,” and I have many questions, but let’s just leave it. Based on the judges’ reactions, I think Team We Are the Future is going to win this.

Xiumin announces the end of the mission and compliments both teams. The judges discuss and debate while our trainees sweat it out.

The winner is … Team Perfect Man. I’m very confused, because that team had several weak links that got called out for not doing well, and Team We Are the Future was so good they apparently invented a new style of dancing that just involves being handsome while dancing, which I’m sure will revolutionize the K-pop industry. (Wait until the industry hears about singing in Korean. Their heads will explode.)

Still, three of my picks are on Team Perfect man, and they all needed the win. The whole team wins benefit points. All seventeen of them.

Wait. Seventeen? There are two groups of eighteen. Did someone leave? The show doesn’t tell us. Instead, the judges tell them the challenges are just going to get a lot harder going forward. I imagine they will, especially if more of their teammates just vanish like this. Unless this is how eliminations are done on this show.

Now that I think about it, that would be AWESOME. Just have the eliminated trainees disappear as we move along, and nobody mention it. Just end the show when you have enough people left for the final group. The show would be called Into Thin Air, and the resulting band would be called TRAUMA. Look out for their first single, “Please Call Our Moms We Want to Go Home,” off their debut EP Seriously, Where Did Our Teammates Go?

See you next episode.

[bloodmaarked]

shanghailanders // juli min

first published: 2024 [to be released 09 may] read: 28 april 2024 – 29 april 2024 pages: 288 format: e-book [ARC]

genres: fiction; literary fiction; family; asian literature favourite character(s): ayi least favourite character(s): most of the characters were forgettable

rating: 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 thoughts: i don't know about everyone else but i have been hearing about this book left, right and centre. i saw it a while back and wasn't moved to add it to my reading list - it looked like it had an interesting concept, with the story of a family being told in reverse (no time travel involved!), and it had a pretty cover. still, something about it felt like it would just be exceptionally mid. i'm not sure what changed my mind - probably coming across it so frequently - but in the end, i did add it to my list, and shortly after was offered an ARC. well, i sped through it in two days, and it seems shanghailanders entirely lived up to my initial expectations.

as i mentioned, i liked the idea of the story being told in reverse, but i don't think that it really served the narrative. by the end i wasn't entirely sure of the story trying to be told. i didn't feel i had gained much additional context on what happens at the beginning of the novel. the story also feels a little choppy; each chapter is a snapshot of a period in a different character's life, selected without much rhyme or reason. for example, the family's chauffeur has his own chapter, which was pretty cool but also out of place and i don't think he's mentioned anywhere else in the book? another is kiko's chapter, which was odd and i'm just not sure what we were meant to glean about her.

the characters, in general, are not that interesting. there were some really good moments of character dynamic exploration - i liked seeing yumi and yuko (i wish more had come from that, some further resolution or exploration), and eko and neo. but things felt a bit half-baked. i wasn't that drawn to any of the characters, and a book like this relies almost entirely on the strength of its characters. i will say ayi and her chapter was a standout for me, and i was emotionally invested in the short time we spent with her.

overall, this book wasn't objectively bad, but it had the potential to be far stronger than it was. i was mostly apathetic by the last page, but maybe this just wasn't the book for me. massive thanks to Dialogue Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

[cannoli-reader]

My notes watching Wheel of Time: Season 1, episode 3

Posted on readandfindout.com on 11/19/2021

4:00 – Not sure how I feel about Nynaeve using a weapon. Not that there’s anything wrong with it per se. But it’s just her thing, that she’s not a killer, but a Healer.

7:27 – By “you won’t” he meant “succeed” of course. Because Lan.

7:50 – Yes, Perrin is gone, too. Nice of you to remember.

9:30 – I kind of feel like it should be obvious to WoT Novices that the Dragon Reborn is probably not Perrin or Mat.

10:46 – Perrin was not nearly so sanguine ITB about Egwene’s channeling, and he should not have been, because that’s super dangerous as Verin points out in the next book, and Perrin’s deal is that he understands the dangers of things and grasps the importance of controlling power instead of using it. Because he’s really strong and waves heavy objects for a living and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. And also, the One Power is the reason for every single aspect of WoT that is worse than the Real World, so people are more afraid of it than anything.

I kind of feel like they don’t get this and think they are fixing Perrin here, by making him supportive.

11:15 – And Egwene wants to go back home to look for their friends, instead of heading to Tar Valon. Like or hate her, like or hate this aspect of her character, it’s a big deal for her! Hell, ITB, she was adamant about not delaying their journey to the Tower for even the slightest detour even after Elyas demonstrated how much better off they would be in his company. Perrin even went on an uncharacteristically sarcastic mini-rant about it.

12:45 – Nynaeve would never require coercion or pressure of any sort to heal someone who was sick or hurt, for any reason. That is her thing. It’s as much her thing as Egwene’s ambition or Perrin’s caution. She would never hold out Healing in order to pressure someone into doing what she wants.

14:25 – Why be coy about her tracking? ITB she offered an explanation of her skills unsolicited.

I just realized that maybe she was embarrassed ITB in Baerlon, because she actually was more subconsciously relying on the link to Egwene and did not want to admit she was actually following a feeling she could not explain. Which, in turn, might explain her reluctance to answer Lan. Except in this version, there is still no explanation of how she then found Lan and Moiraine, rather than being drawn in Egwene’s direction.

17:28 – I like the dream if it’s Baalzamon trying to make Perrin fear the wolves, otherwise, wolves in his dreams were protecting him from Baalzamon. And shouldn’t be eating his dead wife.

17:40 – I’m imagining those snarls are wolvish for “Damnit Young Bull, we’re trying to help! There’s food over…no, not that way! Crap, someone find Long Tooth to talk to these idiots.”

20:13 – I feel like maybe the show people don’t know what the point of those cage things actually is. They are intended to make people die of exposure, a long, slow suffering. Not to hoist them up as target practice. One of those cages whose occupant is riddled with arrows looks like he was mercy-killed.

20:30 – Is this Whitebridge or Baerlon? It’s got a bridge, but it’s kind of shabby and miney for the former.

21:14 - >resigned sigh< I’m half expecting Min to be winning a drinking contest in this place. TV writers being all super-original and whatnot.

21:43 – Thom?

22:00 – Okay, guitar.

22:21 – Is this good singing? I can’t tell.

23:55 – A song about how sad LTT is would not be something people in the Third Age would appreciate.

24:52 – Saw that coming a mile away. Hood dude was a clear and obvious Film Pickpocket, but if he managed to get Thom, I’d have shut the browser window. Thom picking HIS pocket was the only way to stay true to the character. Happily.

25:07 – Please don’t let “donation for the gleeman” become the new “Toss a coin for your Witcher”.

25:13 – So with that essential character service out of the way, we can go on with Thom taking advantage of two hard-up young men in over their heads, because his mercenary attributes and greed are a thing with him.

25:53 – “Aawooo! Seriously, Young Bull! You’re going in the wrong direction for hunting or water. Just hold up, Long Tooth isn’t far!”

28:09 – Careful, barmaid. In Rand’s experience, doing the dishes means sex.

Ah, good thing she’s setting him to chop wood. No innuendo or euphemisms there.

29:00 – They don’t use scatological profanity in WoT. How hard is it to stick with “bloody” and “burn me” and “blood and ashes”? What’s gained by having Mat say “shit” all the time.

29:59 – Or sexual profanity. Not least because that tends to have sexist connotations.

30:17 – There’s a reason why Rand is mentioned as taking off his coat when doing chores for his room and board. It’s confining and gets in the way, especially a long flappy one like he’s wearing. Would it be too much trouble for TV writers to ever do a little manual labor so they know these things? Anyone who’s ever split wood would feel that shot was wrong.

32:02 – What exactly are we getting out of this whole scene in the bar? Turns out this is Breen’s Spring, so it’s not like this is an important locale they need to establish.

32:28 – This is NOT Mat! Even with the dagger affecting him for much longer, even when it has him thinking Rand will abandon him if he can’t keep up, he still sticks with Rand, protects him when he’s weak and gets him food and shelter.

32:55 – I don’t think the locals know the barmaid so well because of enforced familiarity, but because she’s prone to blabbering to even a stranger she was belittling moments ago for being lazy and useless. This is Sanderson all over again. Jordan wrote a million characters. We don’t need all this screen time devoted to a useless original one who serves no purpose.

35:56 – This is, like, exactly the opposite of how the Tinkers are presented. Why would you ever trust these creepy people without an intermediary like Elyas vouching for them?

36:30 – They haven’t actually been welcomed to the Tinker camp, because the show thought it would be better to have them seem creepy and shocking, so you get zero points for sticking with the book dialogue.

36:59 – “You both look awful and this is being said by people who appear not to have washed our top-knot man-bun dreadlocks in forever.” Why is so much TV dialogue putdowns, insults or mockery, even, or especially, between friendly characters?

38:18 – It’s almost like Perrin and Egwene tucked into their food so emphatically because they really want to finish and get away from the most evil person from Downton Abbey and her husband, Taika Waititi.

38:42 – Yay. Took off his coat.

38:47 – See, this is what I mean. You can dig into the barmaid’s comments to infer that she’s impressed with Rand’s work ethic and output, but it’s all negative. First, she’s questioning why he’s working when she let Mat off an hour ago, then she’s ironically noting that he’s chopped enough wood for the next year and when he asks for confirmation that he’s done enough to earn food and shelter, her manner of agreement is as if she’s trying anything but to say, “yes, good job, thank you.”

39:28 – And she’s only being actually nice when she’s being a good LGBTQ ally. Because that’s the highest virtue. And they’re playing it for laughs, so it’s not even like this is being woke.

39:53 – WHY have Rand and Mat each exchanged more words with the bar woman than with Thom? Or maybe even each other since coming into this town? They might have spent more time with her, each, than Lan and Nynaeve have interacted.

40:02 to 40:16 – Lan sitting on his horse looking over a cliff. Why? You couldn’t have him just ride up to Nynaeve and Moiraine and say he found it?

43:06 – “Stop acting like a bloody white-veiled Aiel” doesn’t have the same ring to it. Thom knowing about Aiel honor also feels wrong.

44:20 – I like Thom kind of teaching Mat a moral lesson here and being a good example. He doesn’t get enough credit for that ITB.

45:19 – And we’re back to the barmaid. She had better be a Darkfriend at this point.

48:00 – Okay. Better, but predictable. And no, the braid doesn’t make you look like Egwene when you’re easily 50 pounds heavier than she is and the nose ring only highlights another proboscis-related difference.

48:30 – I suppose it would make sense for a gleeman to have some knowledge of Aiel customs, even if he didn’t bury the guy properly, but you’d think that with that knowledge would come questions or speculation as to what one was doing so far out of his homeland.

50:36 – Dana the Darkfriend.

52:24 – Predictable can be satisfying. There was no way this monologue was ending without Thom’s knife suddenly sticking out of her. But it’s only satisfying because she’s been so annoying and pointless and taking up too much of the episode, not because she is actually scary as a chubby woman in a bulky dress trying to hold off two fit men.

54:38 – Since when do Aes Sedai address each other as “(Name) Sedai”?

How did we get through the introduction of the Tinkers with no reference in the whole episode to the Way of the Leaf? That's like a vegan's diet - they find a way to work it into every conversation.

[wren-der]

I posted 580 times in 2022

227 posts created (39%)

353 posts reblogged (61%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sweetfirebird

@wren-der

@annesadei

@funnytwittertweets

@voodooya

I tagged 316 of my posts in 2022

Only 46% of my posts had no tags

#wren-der non sims - 153 posts

#sims 3 - 80 posts

#sims 3 gameplay - 72 posts

#the sims 3 - 39 posts

#ts3 - 33 posts

#darrin - 22 posts

#ahmed - 19 posts

#jae-min - 19 posts

#autumn - 18 posts

#hank - 16 posts

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Every time Wednesday wears this outfit all I can think is "Wednesday Addams dressed by David Rose."

63 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

#4

OSLO, Norway — A 1,320-pound walrus that had drawn crowds in Oslo was euthanized by Norwegian officials on Sunday after they decided that the animal posed a risk to humans.

The marine mammal had a penchant for climbing onto boats to sunbathe, sometimes sinking the vessels, the BBC reported.

People were swimming near Freya and throwing objects at her, Vegard Oen Hatten, a spokesman for the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, told The New York Times on Friday. People were taking photographs with the walrus, sometimes including their children in the picture while moving dangerously close to her, according to the newspaper.

The agency said in a statement that a decision to euthanize Freya was “based on an overall assessment of the continued threat to human safety.”

“Through on-site observations the past week it was made clear that the public has disregarded the current recommendation to keep a clear distance to the walrus,” said Frank Bakke-Jensen, the director general of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. “Therefore, the Directorate has concluded, the possibility for potential harm to people was high and animal welfare was not being maintained.”

Female walruses can weigh as much as a ton, Nadia Jdaini, another spokesperson for the agency, told CNN in an email.

“She’s not aggressive,” Rune Aae, who teaches biology at the University of South-Eastern Norway, told the Times on Friday. “But if she wants to play with you, you will lose, no matter what happens.”

Freya was first spotted in Oslo in July, the BBC reported. She was named after the Norse goddess of beauty and love.

A protected species, walruses do not usually attack humans. At a wildlife park in China in 2016, a tourist and a zookeeper were killed, the news organization reported. The tourist was taking selfies with the walrus when he was grabbed and pulled underwater, according to the BBC. The zookeeper attempted to rescue the tourist but was also killed by the animal.

There are more than 25,000 Atlantic walruses that live in the cold waters near Norway, Russia, Greenland and Canada, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Sounds to me like Freya was the one whos safety was at risk. Maybe we should start euthanizing stupid people who refuse to leave wild animals alone.

91 notes - Posted August 14, 2022

#3

I thought he would be above this type of request, but nope. The One Who Waits is a poop eater.

111 notes - Posted September 14, 2022

#2

See the full post

131 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Fuck Elon Musk and his little douche bro followers.

1,794 notes - Posted November 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[babystray-rescuecat]

Update on Romeo 🐱

Romeo got diagnosed with stage 2 (of 4) kidney disease.

On the night of Friday, July 23, my hand came away with a sticky clear fluid after petting him. I checked him over but couldn’t find a wound on his body. 

The following afternoon, I saw the wound on his bum. It was already red. He’d most likely been licking at it. I’m not sure how he got it. I thought it was from sitting on some piece of roofing that got blown away by the strong wind. It’s healing up now and actually it looks like a pair of puncture wounds. Maybe he got into a fight. Maybe he got bitten by something. I’m not completely sure because it’s scabbed over now.

I took him to the vet on Wednesday, July 28 - a little late, I know, but it was the soonest appointment we could get. He’d already been a bit lethargic and refusing to eat by this point. 

I mentioned his stimky breath, and the vet leaned into him for a sniff and immediately called for a blood chemistry panel. She said bad breath is a sign of kidney disease. 😱 

I had no idea! We’ve been using the oral gel and it worked to get rid of his bad breath but only temporarily. We had to keep using it or the stink would come back. 

He was such a good boy during his physical checkup, getting his blood drawn and getting dewormed. His CREA and BUN levels were hella elevated. A sign of kidney problems but it could have been affected by other factors like dehydration. And he was dehydrated. So she urged us to get an SDMA test, which is directly related to kidney function and isn’t influenced by anything else. Sure enough, the test showed his kidneys are impaired. 

I thought we were just about ready to go and I was just waiting for the print out of all the lab results and for the vet to write up the prescriptions when I was asked to go back into the exam room.

What I saw was hella terrifying. Romeo was hooked up to this machine and there were so many cables. I thought he had crashed and was dying! Turns out he was just having his blood pressure measured. The band that went around his arm was so tiny. He seemed so fragile in that moment. His BP was high at first, but the second time it was normal. Could have been just the stress of being at the vet. But there’s also a possibility of it being comorbid with the kidney disease.

He was prescribed nefrotec tablet to be taken 3x a day. It’s supposed to make him pee more to help him get rid of body waste. His kidneys aren’t functioning properly and so the waste builds up in his blood instead. He absolutely refused to take them when I gave them by hand. So I got a pill inserter to help. It worked the first time... and only the first time. Now I crush the tablet and cover it up with tons of yummy wet ciao treat and now he goes bananas for medicine time. 

He’s also taking antibiotics for his bum wound. He’s a champ at taking it directly by oral syringe. He also doesn’t make too much of a fuss when I clean and apply ointment to his bum. He can take off the velcro e-collar within two minutes of me putting it on him. So I got a different collar that is secured by buttons. It’s better at preventing him from taking it off, but he still did manage to slip out of it once by wedging himself into a tight space, getting the cone stuck, and then backing out of the cone. I only make him wear it about 30 mins after wound treatment to give it a chance to dry. It’s almost completely healed now. 

I spent that whole first night after the vet visit reading up on CKD (chronic kidney disease). I looked up the official guidelines and his levels actually indicate stage 3 kidney disease. Moderately impaired renal function. Not quite kidney failure but way too fucking close to that for my liking.

The vet didn’t mention making dietary changes and/or a urinalysis. And she said I had to take Romeo back a week after for retesting to monitor his levels. But that seems like way too soon especially when his meds were prescribed for 14 days.

The SDMA test is also really fucking expensive. It’s Php 1,500. The full blood chemistry panel was Php 2,400. Because we had both done, there was a discount and both tests were Php 3,500. For the retesting though, Romeo would need the SDMA test again and only two components for the blood chem, CREA and BUN, which are Php 350 each. I also think he should get his phosphorus level checked, but the vet didn’t mention it. 

I’m worried about his belly being a bit large. He’s got a visible waist still, so I don’t know if that’s just his primordial pouch or if he’s got some swelling or fluid buildup on the inside. I might take him to the full animal hospital to get an ultrasound/x-ray and a urinalysis. Our regular vet doesn’t have an ultrasound/x-ray machine.

What’s stressing me out a lot is not being able to feed him a specially formulated renal diet which is supposed to slow the progression of CKD. They’re just way too expensive. There’s also just not a lot of options here. There’s only hill’s and royal canin. We’re just going to have to make do with Special Cat Urinary which has okay ingredients and a phosphorus content that’s lower than other non-prescription cat food. Not as low as what our goal should be, but it should still help his kidneys a bit. It’s Php 1,200 for a 7kg bag compared to our usual food that’s only Php 870 per 7kg. I’m not sure if I should be feeding it to the other cats as well. The ingredients are actually better than our current dry food. The protein content is actually higher and the first ingredient is chicken instead of cereals.

I still wonder if there would be any benefit to doing the expensive renal diet even if for two weeks just to get his levels under control.

I’m feeding Romeo more wet food now and less kibbles so he can get more moisture. Given the choice, he prefers dry food, but that’s not doing him any good so I’m limiting his dry food intake. He’s also much more energetic. I’m really scared about what his levels would be when we do retest. But we’re just taking it day by day right now.

See his paw in the cone. This was taken in the car at the end of our vet visit. We hadn’t even left for home yet and he was already working on his escape. 😂

[d2myg]

yoongi b-day post; this will be incredibly sappy, so read at your own discretion: 

the person in the pictures is min yoongi. i took them in the london o2 arena in october 2018, when i went to a bts concert during their love yourself tour. it was unironically the best day of my life, and not just because i got to see the people i love most do what they love most. i got meet up with my friends, spend the day with them, share food, do sight-seeing, do windowshopping together - little acts of love that i now look back at with fondness. at the venue, we talked to many other people, hugged, laughed and cried, sang and screamed together. before that day, i hadn't realised just how one person - or one unit - can bring a sea of people together, people who are strangers to each other, people who are so different from each other, speak different languages, come from different backgrounds. but on that day, we all gathered together because we shared love for a group of 7 boys who make beautiful music and make us all feel a little bit less alone. on that day, even though we didn't understand the lyrics or some of their comments, we felt welcomed, safe and loved there. we could feel how much they love all of us, and how much effort they put into showing it. at the end of the concert, as the ending credits rolled down, they left a little message - a 'special thank you' to all of us, even though we have loads more to thank them for. i've heard a lot of people say that bts saved their lives. that they were in a dark place, but the hopeful messages in the songs, and the incredible friendship that bts all have with each made them feel less lonely. and i feel this way, too. they make people connect, and i've never seen anything like this with any other music artist; the bond that exists between bts and the fans is thrumming with so much affection for both sides. no matter how high they climb, bts stay humble, and make sure to always thank us for their achievements. what sets them apart from other artists for me is genuity and passion for their work, and personalisation of their music, their continuous efforts to be gentle role models for the youth.

i felt drawn to min yoongi ever since i first watched one of their music videos, back in 2015/16. i've never encountered anyone like him, and learning more things about him over the years of being a fan has been a great pleasure. i've realised that our personalities and habits are a lot alike, and it's painful when people don't see past his stage persona and think he's cold, lazy, and uncaring. he has the kindest soul, and he loves in quiet and subtle ways. he cares so much, and he always puts other people before him. his passion and love for music is unmatched, and it's really inspiring to see that he chose to pursue his dream despite his parents' disapproval or growing up poor. his creative process is very unique, and he has so much knowledge about the thing he's good at, yet he always strives to improve and is self-critical. the music he creates from scratch is stunning. that's actually not the right word - i don't know how to even begin to describe it. min yoongi is good at telling stories through his music;  stories that make you sit and listen, that make you want to listen to them again, want to know how they continue. the method of delivery of these stories is through rapping. i used to not like rap at all. but by listening to min yoongi's rapping, i understood the purpose of it, and learnt what good rap is - to tell stories. min yoongi's lyrics are poems with incredibly clever wordplay, use of metaphors and anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and they ellicit emotions by simply reading them. i never knew music could be like this. even though there is a language barrier and all i have access to are lyric translations, listening to min yoongi's music doesn't require knowledge of korean at all. you understand the message through the changes in flow and speed of the words, through sharp breaths, through the rawness or quietness of his voice. you understand especially when min yoongi is telling you his stories. his stories and their delivery are heart-wrenching, shocking, eye-opening. they speak, sincerely and openly, unafraid of judgement, about his tough childhood, difficulties during debut and the first few years of being part of the group, about his mental health, his feelings, thoughts. they speak about his immense love for music, but also about his worries and anxieties as a global celebrity. they made me realise that for his dream, min yoongi has had to sacrifice a lot. he had to sacrifice living an ordinary life, which is sometimes all he wishes.

loving min yoongi can be bittersweet sometimes, when i listen to his stories, again and again and again, until i've memorised the pronunciation of every foreign word. they often make me sad and hollow, make me cry, because i think that such a lovely and selfless person doesn't deserve the things that he's had to cope with. but loving min yoongi is also good - he makes me feel so inspired, to get off my ass and work on what i'm good at and what i enjoy. it makes me want to be academically successful, even though he's very critical of the education system. his lyrics are enlightening, and i admire his ways of critiquing society and institutions even though he's part of a very strict industry. the way he thinks and shapes his thoughts into words in interviews is incredible and inspirational. his music makes me feel less alone, just as it does to millions of people around the world. i think i couldn't have picked a better role model, a better idol, a better mentor, and it was far from a conscious decision. he's just very endearing and easy to feel drawn to.

i hope he knows just how much everyone is proud of him and all that he's achieved. i love how he remains down to earth and humble, shy about his work, despite having been nominated for a grammy recently, and despite all the other highly prestigious awards of record-breaking album sales he greatly contributed to. i hope his smile never dims, because it's genuinely healing and valuable. i hope he never gets tired of making music, whether that be for the public or privately, for bts or for himself. i hope he stays healthy and recovers well from his shoulder surgery. i hope he takes good care of himself, physically and mentally. i hope he knows that out of all of his stage personas and alter-egos, 28-year old min yoongi (30-year old min yoongi in korean age, which remains confusing to me) is the one that is most important.  i hope we get to meet again, even though i will just be a dot in the crowd, and he will be showing us all the music he wasn't able to show us in person last year. happy birthday, yoongi. you don't know me, but i look up to you and i love you, a lot.

[stxrdust-widow]

Not to be back on my 12yo self bullsh!t,

But I’m rewarding my favourite eps of Once Upon a Time (cause it’s a comfort show and I can do what I want when I’m sad) but I just was thinking about how different the show would have been if either Jepetto hadn’t lied to get august through the portal or if Emma-in-the-womb would’ve just stayed put for ten more mins until Snow could go through?

Like now I wanna see a fic where Emma is raised in a mostly stable environment by a mostly emotionally stable mother (Snow def would have some issues and be a bit depressed like come on) but at least they would have been ok together. And Snow still lost her memories in this version, but she always has this feeling like she’s missing something, hence her issues lol. And maybe Emma still ends up being a slightly rebellious teenager and gets preggers but Snow would be supportive with whatever she chose to do.

Now idk how this AU would work what with Regina adopting Henry, but maybe the prophecy is for when Emma turns 18 not 28, so we get the whole shabang going to start 10 years earlier than in the show. Maybe Emma and Snow are drawn to Storybrook through a ~magical feeling~ or some bs cause why not.

Maybe Regina befriends Emma in an attempt to steer Emma away somehow cause there needs to be drama cause Regina would obviously recognize Snow, and somehow try to get little infant Henry away from poor sweet Emma because I say so.

Also if we don’t get a healthy dose of angst upon Snow seeing David again when they get their memories back then I don’t want it lol. I’m p sure they were one of my first OTPs when I was 12.

Anyways I kinda wanna read a while AU now but I’m not good at plotting coherent multi chapter in depth things lol. So if anyone wants to write this AU and use me as an idea sounding board, HMU lol.

[ex-lostboy]

Tag game: 50 Qs

Tagged by @hartigays forever ago and I forgot about it in my drafts lol

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? I don't actually brush my hair... but the brush in my bathroom is a wooden boar bristle one.

2. name a food you never eat: Sushi

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? I'm always cold. I run hot so my heat is always escaping me.

4. what were you doing 45 mins ago?  Reading a fic

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? I'm not really a candy person. But I like chocolate and caramel together.

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? uhh nope.

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? “Fuck"

8. what is your favorite ice cream? Mint chocolate chip

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? Soda

10. do you like your wallet? Yeah. It's black leather and I painted Anarchy shit on it

11. what is the last thing you ate? My momma's pasta and sauce

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nope. I'm trying to cut down.

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched?  I never watch sports tbh.

13. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? I hate popcorn lmao

14. who is the last person you sent a text message to? My mom

15. ever been camping? only once or twice

16. do you take vitamins? sometimes

17. do you regularly attend a place of worship? if the forest counts then yes.

18. do you have a tan? Yeah, from Cali. But it's fading and I'm sad..

19. do you prefer chinese food or pizza? I only like Chinese food from this one place I've been going to since I was a kid. So pizza?

20. do you drink your soda through a straw? only when I go to restaurants or fast food places

21. what color socks do you usually wear? Uh usually black but lately I wear my green wool mountain socks!

22. do you ever drive above the speed limit? Wtf is a speed limit? I thought those things were suggestions.

23. what terrifies you? My loved ones dying.

24. look to your left, what do you see? A T.V

25. what chore do you hate most? I don't have chores lol I mean like... general necessities putting groceries away always annoys me for some reason.

26. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? Sexy... but also Jay (one of my headmates)

27. what’s your favorite soda? Mt. Dew

28. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru... duh.

29. what’s your favorite number? 23

30. who’s the last person you talked to? My mom (I'm a momma's boy if you haven't noticed)

31. favorite cut of beef? T-bone 🐺👅💦

32. last song you listened to? hmm I don't remember. Something on my sleep playlist on Spotify

33. last book you read? haha! I don't read books, nerd. Only fanfics.

34. favorite day of the week? I mean they're all the same tbh 🤷🏼‍♂️

35. can you say the alphabet backwards? Yeah right!

36. how do you like your coffee? Not a coffee person.

37. favorite pair of shoes? My combats

38. time you normally get up? Uhh currently, between 9am and 11am

39. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets. But both really. I just hate being tired in the am to see the sunrise.

40. how many blankets on your bed? currently 3. My heating blanket, my quilt and my duvet.

41. describe your kitchen plates. Plain white ceramic.

42. describe your kitchen at the moment. Slightly cluttered from all the cooking I did yesterday for the Halloween party. But cozy cause we have all the winter throws on the couches and pillows.

43. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? Almost anything with Vodka in it. But there green tea shots and these sweedish fish shot from my local gay club are BOMB!

44. do you play cards? Yep

45. what color is your car? White

47. can you change a tire? Technically, theoretically, but I haven't had to actually do it yet so I don't knkw LMAO!

48. your favorite country? Uh... Italy or Scotland

49. favorite job you’ve had? Florist

Tagging: @pretty-bratty @prettyboyporter @harringrovetrashh @daggers---drawn @hoegrove @catharrington @memes-saved-me (sorry if you've already been tagged)

[changingobsessions88]

Bond Girl

It had been a long few months of touring. Shawn had been criss crossing the globe for over 3 months. You couldn’t be prouder of him and what he has achieved. Topped with his Señorita commitments in the US, and it was a very hard few months. You would have loved to have been there with him, but you couldn’t leave your work for that amount of time. Facetime became your best friend, as well as the internet. You actually couldn’t breath when you saw the pictures of him from Rio. There was a very steamy Facetime session the day after you saw him in that denim jacket. There may have been a little role play that night. He always took it in his stride, and it made you love him even more that he indulged you in that fantasy.

You had managed two weeks off work once Shawn had finished the tour, so it could just be the two of you. Shawn had organized everything about the trip. All you knew was that you were leaving on Monday night and he was going to meet you at the airport. He was coming straight from the last show, so you wouldn’t see him before.

Once you arrived at the airport, you were ushered into the first class lounge for American Airways. You looked around the busy room until your eyes landed on him. Your heart skipped a beat as you watched him for a moment. He was on his phone, in his own little world. As if he could feel you enter the room, he looked up and locked eyes with you. Your knees went weak as he produced one of the best smiles you have ever seen. Once your legs agreed with your brain, you made your way over to where he was sitting. He had two glasses of champagne, as well as a cheese board waiting.

‘Hello my darling, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes’, Shawn said as he ushered you to sit down next to him. Even with the Facetime, there was nothing like hearing him speak in the flesh. That accent does all types of things to you.

“I have missed you so much” you whisper, gripping his shirt as you pull him in for a huge hug. Lips are drawn together and for a moment you both forget where you are. Hell, you haven’t seen each other for 3 months, you are lucky you don’t strip off in the middle of the lounge and go at it like rabbits.

‘Are you going to tell me where we are going” you say as you make yourself comfortable and sip on the champagne.

‘Well I can’t keep the flight a surprise can I? Shawn replies with a smirk.

‘What are you up to?” you don’t trust that look.

“Nothing honey, I just want it to be a surprise” he says back to you as he also picks up his glass of champagne.

“To us and our adventure” Shawn toasts. You clink glasses and stare into each other’s eyes. You are really regretting not seeing him before now – you don’t know how you are going to keep your hands off him.

Soon an announcement comes across the lounge for first class boarding to Miami. Shawn stands and holds his hand out for you.

“That’s us – come on”. You stare at him with your mouth open.

“We are going to Miami” you squeal, starting to bounce in your seat.

“Well we are heading through Miami” he says, with that smirk on his face again. You were too excited to realize the meaning of his words, as you head toward the boarding gate.

10 hours later and you land in Miami. You were never a good flyer, so you didn’t get any sleep on the plane. Shawn is a seasoned traveller, so he was able to get some shut eye and relax as you flew across the continent. You started to head towards the baggage claim when Shawn pulled you in the opposite direction.

“What are you doing, we need to get our bags” you say, a little shorter than you meant to. Sleep deprivation will do that to you.

Shawn smiles at you tenderly and takes your hand, “Don’t you remember darling, I said we were heading through Miami”.

You look at him confused, “what do you mean, we aren’t having our holiday in Miami?”.

“Nope”. You wait for him to continue his sentence, but he doesn’t say another word. Just takes your hand in his and gently pulls you towards the private terminal.

Shawn takes control of the situation and ushers you through the private doors into a little boarding gate. Asking you to take a seat, he walks up to the counter and has a conversation with the flight staff. You can’t hear what he is saying, but you don’t mind. You are just happy to stare at your gorgeous boyfriend for a while. He turns round and catches you. A blush rising on your cheeks. Shawn drops another megawatt smile, and again you are happy you are sitting down. He saunders over to you and holds out his hand.

‘I promise this is the last leg” he can see how tired you are. He hates to see you like this, but knows that it will all be worth it in the end.

“Alright, but are you going to tell me where we are going now?

“I’ll give you a clue. Bond, James Bond” he says with a smirk. Again, glad you are sitting down cause you would be a puddle on the floor with that line. You look at him like a confused puppy with a head tilt. “What?” your tired brain can’t keep up. “Trust me darling. All will be revealed very soon”. He leads you out of the terminal and onto a private jet. You have never been on one before, so Shawn is keen to see how you react.

“Did you do all this for me? You know I don’t have to have all these luxuries.”

“I know, but now I can spend a little time with you, and the best thing, there is a bed in the back.” You give him a look that could turn fire to ice. You had been away from each other for months, but sex was the last thing you were thinking of right now. You couldn’t even think straight you were so tired. “Nothing like that” he chuckles, “I just know that you haven’t slept and we have another 5 hours or so. Come on love, let’s get some sleep”. He waits for the pilot to come over the intercom and inform us we are at cruising altitude. He stands and you blink at him slowly. He can tell you are out on your feet. He pulls you to stand beside him and he leads you towards the back of the plane. Hands resting gently on your shoulders, he steers you towards a room that holds a king bed. At this point in time, it is the best thing you have ever seen. Shawn sits you on the bed and takes your shoes off, his follow and he leans you back onto the bed. He curls up behind you and brings his arm across your stomach to shift you closer to him. You love being the little spoon to his big spoon. You don’t even feel him gently kiss you neck before you are out like a light. Shawn got sleep on the previous flight, so he just held you as you finally caught up on the sleep you have missed in the last 12 hours.

The flight crew quietly knock on the door to alert Shawn that you will be landing shortly. He squeezed your middle and brings you closer to him so he can start to nibble your earlobe. He hears you breathing change and a soft moan leave your lips.

“We are about to land, honey. Time to get up”. You let out another groan, and slowly sit up.

“How long was I out for?” you ask as you rub your eyes and attempt to fix your hair. “It was a good 5 hours. You needed it love” he says tenderly, watching you put your shoes on.

As you make your way back to the seats located at the front of the plane, your brain is starting to work again.

“What did you mean by Bond” you quiz him as he sits down next to you and buckles his seatbelt.

As he opens his mouth, the intercom comes to life again. “We are just about to land at Ian Fleming International Airport, Jamaica. Weather is a balmy 28 degrees and there is not a cloud in the sky”.

Shawn just smiles at you as you start to put all the pieces together. Months ago on a weekend when Shawn was at home, you were talking about your holiday wishlist. You wanted somewhere peaceful, secluded and above all, feel like paradise. There were the usual suspects – Tahiti, Maldives, but it was too common. Too commercial. You found reference to a resort called Goldeneye. A private resort in Jamaica where Ian Fleming penned most of the Bond novels. It was perfect, and a place of fantasies, but it was closed for renovations. Shawn knows how beautiful it is there anyway, with him recording the album down there.

“But it was closed”, you say, staring out the window of the plane.

“I made a few calls after we talked. You looked so excited as we were discussing it. It is actually back open for business, but they haven’t announced it. That means we have the entire resort to ourselves” Shawn finishes as he looks you in the eye, takes your hand and kisses your knuckles.

“That’s what the smirk was for”. You say, touching his cheek. The stubble from the last day’s travelling starting to come through. “You had all this planned for weeks, didn’t you”. It dawns on you that this was organized before the last leg of the tour. He just smiles and kisses you deeply. You run your hand through the curls at the base of his neck. “God what did I do to deserve you”.

The plane lands and soon we are both hit with the warm tropical air of Jamaica. There is a black range rover waiting for us on the tarmac. “After you”, Shawn says as he assists you up into the car.

“Welcome to Jamaica”, the driver announces as you get yourself settled. “It’s about 10 mins to Goldeneye, so make yourself comfortable, and we will be there before you know it”. Shawn watches you, as you watch the scenery go by. You can’t believe that you are here. That Shawn has done all of this for you.

“Are you happy?” Shawn suddenly asks. You turn around from the window and lock eyes with him. There is a moment of silence, before the biggest smile lands on your face. “Shawn, I have never been more happy”, you announce. “I can’t tell you how much you mean to me and how spoilt I am that you have done this for me”. You start to get a little emotional, and Shawn can see your eyes start to glisten. Without saying a word, he pulls you over to him and wraps you in his arms. “There is nothing that I wouldn’t do for you”, he states – determined. “You are my world and I want to share everything with you. My failures, my success and everything in-between. I have the ability to give this to you, and I want to make your dreams come true”. He gives you a final squeeze as the car pulls up to the entrance to the resort. It was something out of a travel catalogue. Palm trees, white sand, crystal clear blue water with gentle waves, and the best thing of all, not a sole in sight.

Shawn winked at you as he got out of the car and made his way to your door. Ever the gentleman you thought, as he opened your door and helped you out. Any opportunity to get his hands on you, he would take it. Squeezing your knee in the car, leading you toward your destination with his hand on your lower back, anything to be in close proximity.

Shawn checks in and comes walking over to you with the keycard in hand, and a staff member in tow.

“Welcome to Goldeneye”, she says with a slight British accent. “The resort is still technically closed due to the renovations, so it is just yourselves for the next two weeks. We have you at the Santa Maria Island. The most secluded villa in the resort. Activities within the resort includes a museum of Bond paraphernalia in the big house, as well as water sports on the beach. The restaurants are closed at the moment, but if you would like to dine in the resort, please let me know and we can accommodate you by opening the restaurant. There is also room service that can be delivered if you do not feel like going out. At this, you look directly at Shawn and raise your eyebrows. It’s now his turn to turn a nice shade of pink. “Last but not least, we have a full beauty service, including couples massages, if this is something that is appealing”. You smile as she finishes her introduction speech and ushers the bellboy to come and take your bags. “If you will follow Victor, he will show you to your villa”. Shawn takes your hand as you follow Victor down a paved path. Passing smaller villas and rooms with access to the beach, you are lead across a little bridge. “Welcome to Santa Maria Island”. You watch as the most beautiful villa you have ever seen in your life comes into view. It is surrounded by palm tress, giving it the secluded feel, as well as being incredibly private.

“This is the only island we have on the resort. You are surrounded by a little moat, with the bridge being the only access”. You take everything in and find Shawn doing the same thing. “This is a dream” you whisper, thinking you have said it to yourself. “It is, isn’t it? But dreams come true”, Shawn says, “I have you, don’t I?” Your heart melts as he smiles ‘your’ smile and walks through the doors of the villa. It is light and airy, with open expanses looking out to the water. You walk further into the villa and see a fully stocked kitchen. Anything you could ever want was in that kitchen, but it was past the kitchen that took your breath away. In front of you was a four poster, king size bed, with the softest white linen you have ever seen. You stand in the doorway, trying to take everything in, when you feel two strong arms come around your waist. “What do you think honey, did I do good?”

“Oh, you did so good”, you say as you turn around in his arms and kiss him. The kiss becomes heated as his hands start to wander up your back and yours across his chest. Breaking for air, Shawn continues to kiss down your neck and gravitating towards that special spot that makes your knees weak. You moan loudly as he sucks on that spot. You are sure it is going to leave a mark, but with the resort deserted, he can do anything he wants to you for the next two weeks.

Instead of leading you towards the bed, he leads you back towards the large open doors. There you see a totally secluded back garden, with an outdoor shower situated in the centre. The sun is streaming into the space and all of a sudden, you really just want to have a shower. You turn to Shawn, cheeks flush from your earlier activities, and state “I want to have a shower”. It takes a moment for him to realize what you mean, and when he works it out, his eyes get dark with arousal and anticipation. You hadn’t meant it like that, but seeing the change in him made you start to get wet.

He lets go of you and starts to slowly remove your clothes. You are happy to be out of them as they smell like planes and stale air. Your shirt is pulled over your head, as Shawn just stares at your chest. He always does it, like a teenager admiring a girl for the first time. His eyes slowly reach yours and he states “you are so beautiful. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I will show you every day what you mean to me”. Again, your eyes start to fill with tears as he shows you all the affection that is in him. You run your hands down his shirt, feeling his muscles contract as you go. You grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head. He helps slightly by bending his knees so he is closer to your height. Now it’s your time to stare. The photoshoot for CK ensured he was in shape, and he has maintained it for the whole tour. You try not to drool as your eyes run from his chest, smattered with hair, down his flat stomach to the little trail of hair running under his pants. He lets you stare as your hand reaches out to place it over his heart. He looks down and covers your hand with his. “You are the shining light in my life” you say quietly. Trying to sort your words out. “I am so happy to be in your world, and share everything with you, good or bad”. You go quiet and Shawn knows you are trying to get your emotions in check. He stand still, waiting. Once he sees you take a relaxing breath, he knows you have composed yourself. You look at him again and gasp when you see how dark his eyes have become.

“There is something I want to do” Shawn says lowly as he leads you outside. As he leads you towards the outdoor shower, he continues to remove your clothes. Your bra comes off, followed by your pants. As the same time, you are frantically trying to get Shawn’s pants off. You struggle with his belt and he chuckles as you let out a frustrated huff. He puts his hands over yours to still them. “This isn’t about me at the moment honey, this is all for you”. You stare at him as he slowly kneels and places his hands on each hip. He drags your panties down your thighs, kissing both hip bones as he goes. You hear him suck in a breath, “Honey, is this for me?” Removing your panties has revealed your fully smooth pussy. “I’ve been getting laser while you have been away. Do you like it?” You start to feel self conscious as he just stares. “Do I like it, love, this is spectacular. I can see you flush with arousal, see those lips turn a lovely shade of pink. I can see you dripping with want and know that it is all for me”. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as his finger reaches out and touches your pussy lips. You had just had a session, so you are particularly sensitive. You suck a breath in as Shawn looks up at you. “It’s a bit sensitive”, you say, as Shawn smirks and runs his finger along again. You shiver, and slightly shift you legs open to give Shawn better access.

Shawn stands, leans around you and turns the outdoor shower on. It is only now that you realize you are standing outside completely naked. You start to panic and Shawn can see your body stiffen. He puts your head in his hands and looks directly into your eyes. “No-one can see you here. We are all by ourselves. Don’t worry about prying eyes, don’t worry about company and most importantly, don’t worry about people hearing us”, he says as he walks you into the shower spray and drops his hand to your pussy. You moan loudly as his fingers start to slowly circle your clit, combining with the water trailing down your body. You look at him in shock, but he smiles and leans in to give you a deep, toe curling kiss. He pulls away, curls wet from the spray, and instructs you to put your hands over his shoulders and interlock your fingers. You question him silently, but comply with his instructions. As soon as you do, you understand why. Shawn moves his hand towards your entrance as his thumb replaces his finger on your clit. He starts rubbing in earnest, as your knees buckle. Shawn chuckles to himself and continues his movements. He continues to kiss you, tongues dominating for control. You moan louder as Shawn inserts one finger. “So wet, honey. Does this make you shiver?” he says as he puts another finger inside you sopping passage and pushes harder on your clit. you can feel the coolness of his rings against you. Your eyes roll back in your head as you struggle to get a breath. “Sh, Sha, Shawn”, you stutter as he starts a steady pace with his fingers. In and out, in and out, and you are starting to get close. You can feel the pressure in the base of you stomach as Shawn picks up the pace one more time. The fingers that aren’t inside you are running along your freshly smooth lips and it causes you to violently shiver. Shawn sees this and stops for a moment. “Are you OK, is this too much” he asks with concern. You would tell me if I ever did anything too much, wouldn’t you?”.

“First of all, you know I would always tell you if I wasn’t comfortable with something. Second of all, if you don’t finish what you started, I am going to combust”. Shawn hits you with a megawatt smile, realizing what you said. “Only I can make you do this” he says as he doubles his efforts. His fingers are pumping into you at an increased rate, his thumb is rolling and tapping your clit with no rhythm to follow and now he grabs hold of one of your nipples and sucks. Shawn knows what sucking on one of those little nubs will do to you, so he rolls it round his tongue, then shifts to the other one. Making sure it isn’t neglected. All the while you are getting closer to orgasm, and soon you can’t make any words. You are moaning and trying to say Shawn’s name as you tighten your hold around his neck. Shawn feels the shift in your posture, and whispers one last time “Cum for me honey. Let me feel you”.

“I..I..I’m cum” is all you can get out before the first waves of your orgasm hit you. It has been over 3 months since Shawn has had his hands on you and this time it feels different. You start to feel liquid seep from you, as Shawn continues to plunge into your pussy. “That’s it, yes, cum for me”, Shawn encourages as you feel a second wave hit you. This one causes your ears to ring and your eyesight to fade. Your knees finally give out, as Shawn catches you with his spare arm. The only thing holding you up at the moment are Shawn’s fingers deep in your pussy, and his arm around your waist. He holds you to him, watching you twitch and shake as you come down from your high.

Once you return from you outer body experience, Shawn smiles lovingly at you and tenderly kisses your nose. “What happened, something was different that time”, you ask him as you slowly release you hands from around his neck. “You squirted honey. I am guessing you have never done that before?” You look at him embarrassed and shake your head. “Honey, don’t be embarrassed. That was the most sexy thing I have ever seen. It means I am doing my job right if I can make you do that. It is the most intense orgasm a woman can have”, Shawn states as he pushes you back under the water spray. After everything that has just happened, you forgot you were actually supposed to be having a shower. “I wonder if it’s because I’m bare now” you ponder out loud. Shawn looks at you, kneeling in front of the discussed subject, and lightly washes you. He can see how sensitive you still are, so is gentle with his movements. “It could be, I would need to run multiple experiments to know for certain”. You smack Shawn slightly on the shoulder as he stands again, shutting off the shower.

It’s only now that you can see how hard he is. The boxers that didn’t get removed before you got in the shower are plastered to his body, with his cock clearly defined. Your mouth waters as you look at the specimen of a man that is standing in front of you. You lean into him, and start to run your hands down his chest again. He knows that you are insinuating, and he stops your hands and looks you in the eye. “You know I don’t expect you to do that, don’t you?” He says with that look that makes your heart skip a beat. “It is never about that. It’s not a tit for tat situation. I love making you feel good and there is nothing better in this world than hearing you moan my name as you clamp around my fingers”. You turn red at his words, but find your voice. “I know that Shawn, and that is one of the things I love about you. You have never pressured me into anything I didn’t want to do, but trust me darling, I haven’t seen you in 3 months, and I definitely need this”, you say as you reach out and feel him through his boxers. He moans deeply as you rest your hands on the top of his boxers. Now it’s your time to smirk as you see Shawn catch his breath. Your fingers trace across the top of his hips, slowly pulling his boxers down. You hate to admit it, but you turn into a schoolgirl when you haven’t seen Shawn in a while. You are fascinated by his cock and how it behaves. It usually has a mind of its own. Now is no exception, as it twitches of its own accord. You pull his boxers down and Shawn sighs with the release of pressure confining his member. His cock springs forward, smacking his stomach and coming to rest perpendicular from his thighs. Your mouth actually waters as you watch his cock throb and grow ever larger. He is thick and long enough to fit you perfectly. His head is a deep purple, showing just how aroused he has been. There is a drop of precum that you can’t wait to taste. You look at him one more time through your lashes as you reach out, grab his base and gently lick the precum from the tip of his cock. He moans loudly and drops his head back. You hadn’t touched him for 3 months, and he missed the feel of your hands and mouth. It was never the same with his own hand. You run your tongue down the length of him, feeling his vein on the underside. You see him shiver and you know you are on the right track.

“It’s been a while, you know”, Shawn states as you take another swipe at his tip. His accent becomes thicker the more he aroused he becomes. It has always turned you on. “I don’t know if I am going to last very long”. You take that as a challenge, and move his head into your waiting mouth. With covered teeth and a flat tongue, you feed him in. Shawn can’t believe what is happening. Your mouth is so hot and feels great around his throbbing cock. He has waited so long. His breath stuttered and you know he is close. You double your efforts and take the length of him in your mouth. He hits the back of your throat, but you don’t mind. You have always been able to take him all the way in. Something he had never experienced before. You bob quicker, while reaching under your chin to take hold of his balls. They are hot and heavy in your hand, indicating that Shawn hadn’t taken care of himself for a while. You roll them gently around you fingers, and watch as his knees buckle slightly. Taking his cock out of your mouth, you stop and ask, “You haven’t taken care of yourself? How have you been managing?”. He looks down at you lovingly, putting his hand through your hair and replies “It’s just not the same without you. There is no comparison to your hand and your mouth on me. I knew we were coming away, so I held off. It’s been a hell of a week. Ask Connor and Andrew, I have been a sexually frustrated mess!”

You give him a sympathetic smile and agree that you feel the same way. With the knowledge of how close he is, you get back to the job at hand. With Shawn’s hand in your hair, gently pushing you back on his cock, he sets the tempo. You get back into your rhythm, and soon you have him moaning again. Taking his balls again, you can feel them fill, then start to pull up. You know his release is immanent, so you go at him full force. He stutters you name and tries to pull you off his thickening cock. He does it every time. He thinks that you don’t like him cumming in your mouth, but it makes you feel so powerful knowing that you do that to him. “Oh God, oh God that’s good”, comes the thickest accented words so far. With one last tug of his balls and dip of your head, he stills and starts to shot his load down your throat. Rope after rope hits your mouth as you swallow around him. The contraction causes him to howl as the sensitive tip is incased with warmth. When he has finished twitching, you release him from your mouth, and give him a gentle kiss on his tip. He slumps down beside you as his legs finally give way. You stare at his face, flush from arousal and his release, and wait for him to come back to himself. Once his eyes find you again, you see the best thing ever. A smile that he reserves for you only. The smile that makes your insides twist, your heart contract and your cheeks to flush. “Honey, I don’t have any words. I love you so much. You know I never expect that from you, but I have to say, you are very good at it”. He chuckles as he pulls you closer to him.

At this point, you are lying on the grass, alongside the shower. Shawn stands, in all his naked glory and wanders into the villa. He emerges, cock swinging from side to side against his thighs (making that schoolgirl come out again), with a large blanket to lie on. Shawn knows that you have delicate skin and have a habit of getting a rash from certain grass. You stand and watch the muscles of Shawns back ripple and move while he places the blanket where he wants it. Once happy with the result, he stands and reaches for your hand. Bringing you down to the middle of the blanket, you bask in the warm afternoon sun. There isn’t direct sun (that could cause some interesting sunburnt areas) but there is enough heat from the afternoon air to keep you warm. Lying side by side, your hands roam across each other. Gentle caresses and touches from loving partners that haven’t seen each other for months. You are both comfortable in the silence that you have created. A little bubble of love that blocks out the rest of the world. You roll over slightly and lie on your back. Letting the warmth spread across your body. You feel Shawn shift beside you. You raise to your elbows to see what he is doing. You watch him staring at your bare pussy. Again. You start to feel worried again, and you subconsciously start to shift your legs away. Shawn stops you and gently puts his hand on your hip. “Don’t do that love. I am just having a closer look. I have never seen your little pussy like this and I am intrigued. It looks so delicate without any coverage”.

“Are you sure you like it? I didn’t know if I should do the whole thing, but they talked me into it”.

“Well, I’m glad they did”, Shawn murmured as he pried your legs open to get a better look. “I love that I can see you getting wet. You are, aren’t you honey?” he asked as he runs his finger along one of your lips. You shiver again with the sensitivity. “You are sensitive. Why is that?” he asked, more to himself. “It’s because there was hair covered the skin. Now, with no hair, the skin is more sensitive. Even running your finger across it feels fantastic.” Shawn smiles and runs his finger along your lips again.

This is it, you think. You muster all your courage, as you are still a little shy when it comes to asking for things sexually. “Shawn”, he stops what he is doing and looks you in the eye. “Um, could you, I mean would you” you start to lose your nerve. “It’s only me honey. What would you like, you can tell me.” You suck in a breath and ask as your cheeks turn bright red, “would you touch me, with your face and your tongue. Seeing as I am so sensitive, I think your stubble would do crazy things to me”.

“You mean eat you out? Shawn replies, smiling. You nod, not having the courage to use those words. He looks down at your bare pussy, squeezes your hip and proceeds to move down your body. You let out a breath as he rests between your thighs. Looking up at you one last time, you smile and give him a small nod of reassurance. That is all Shawn needs to start proceedings. He shifts you so both legs are resting over his shoulders. In this position, there isn’t much you can do. You are pinned by his hands on either one of your hips, with you legs in the air. You can feel his breath as he gets closer to your core. With slow and deliberate moves, Shawn swipes his tongue from your entrance all the way to your clit. You arms give way as you fall back to the blanket. The noises you make encourage Shawn as he grabs hold of your clit and sucks with earnest. You try and shift your hips to get closer, but Shawn holds you still. You will probably have bruises when this is finished, but you don’t care. Shawn shifts and starts to rub his nose against your clit while his chin and lips, covered with his stubble, tickle your sensitive flesh. The sensations you are feeling are incredible. He stops after hearing the noises you are making to check if you are OK. There was nothing like the feelings you were having right now, and you told Shawn as such.

“God you taste like heaven” Shawn commented as he removed his mouth from you. You whined as you lost the connection from his mouth. “Will you let me try something”, Shawn asks as you look down at him. “OK”, is the only word that comes to mind. Shawn gives you a look, a look that you know well. He is going to do something that is going to blow your mind. He leans back down to your pussy, and runs a finger around your entrance. He slowly inserts one, then two fingers, all the while holding his hand above your mound. He curls his fingers just the right way and pushes down with his other hand, and you start to see stars. He know exactly where that little spongy spot it that sets you off. It’s what he does next that surprises you. He starts to rub his mouth and chin across your clit and pussy lips. The stubble from the travel is rubbing across your sensitive skin and you actually stop breathing. The noise that comes out of your mouth is somewhere between a scream and a moan, and Shawn knows he is on the right track. He continues to rub himself around you, fingers pumping and clit being tickled with the alphabet he is performing with his tongue. You get higher and higher in your noises, and Shawn knows you are there. With a final push, your toes curl, your thighs clamp around Shawn’s head and your back arches off the blanket. He has managed to give you another earth shattering orgasm, with just his fingers and tongue. What did you do to deserve him? Again, it takes you a moment to come back down to earth, but when you do, you look down to get a look at Shawn. His nose, mouth and chin are covered in your juices. You should be embarrassed at what he has just done, but it is actually the hottest thing and the look on his face will keep you warm on cold nights when he is away. He stalks up your body and kisses you deeply again. You can taste your essence on his tongue, but that doesn’t stop you.

You look into his eyes and see so much love. He brings his body down to rest along yours. Not squashing you at all, and taking all the weight on his arms. You instinctively widen your legs for him to fit inside. It’s at that point that you feel his cock resting on your stomach. He is hard again. You look down between you and back to his face. “This is what you do to me. I can go all day with you making those noises. How are you feeling, did that meet expectations?” Shawn has always been very open about sex and checking on you at every stage. You were never comfortable with talking about sex, but Shawn has worked with you during your relationship to help you express yourself. You still have your moments, like before, but you have gotten much better. “That was mind-blowing”, you say with a chuckle. “I have never felt anything like that. I think we might need to keep this”, you say, running your hands along his stubbled chin. “Whatever you desire honey”, Shawn softly kisses your fingers rubbing across his lips.

You gently peck his lips as he settles himself against you. Now his cock is lying right at the top of your mound. You lift your hips slightly and Shawn understands what you want. “Are you sure, we can wait a while if you want. Recover”. You both have great stamina, always going multiple rounds. And with the time apart, you may create a new record on this trip. You look at him, smile again and wrap your hand around his cock. You draw it through your pussy lips and to your entrance. “Do you feel how wet I am? I love your fingers and your mouth, but nothing bets your cock filling me and I haven’t had this in 3 months”. Shawn drops his head to yours as you push his tip in. “You have no idea how long I have waited for this. Lucky that you tugged one out of me before, otherwise this would have been embarrassing” Shawn giggles as he slowly pushes in. There is always the slight burn and stretch when Shawn enters you, and today is no exemption. He knows he is on the large size, and with him not being in you for 3 months, he knows he had to take his time. “OK, honey?” he asks as he slowly pushes himself to the hilt. You feel every inch of him. His thick length and the veins that are protruding into your walls. You let out a puff of air, “just hold still for a moment. Let me get used to you again. You are bigger than anyone I’ve had. Even my buzzy friend when you are away isn’t as big”. Shawn does an internal high five to himself as he nestles himself within your hips. After a moment, you give him a small nod. He knows what he has to do.

With a kiss to your lips, he pulls out again, and with the same tempo, pushes back inside you. The feeling is something you have missed for 3 months and it causes you to roll your eyes back in your head and let out the loudest moan so far. Shawn is feeling the same way, nothing bets having you wrapped around him. “Do you trust me honey” Shawn asks, voice thick with arousal and lust. “Of course I do, you know that”. After your confirmation, Shawn takes hold of both of your legs and pushes them up over his shoulder. This leaves you wide open with your hips slightly elevated. With the next thrust, Shawn pushes in deeper than usual and you scream. He stops to look at you, thinking he has caused you harm. You shake your head and encourage him to continue. He sets a brutal pace, with his cock pounding into you. He is reaching spots that even he hasn’t reached before. The noises you are both making are getting louder, and soon you don’t have control of the volume. Shawn shifts slightly, bringing your hips even higher off the round and starts to go faster. He frees one of his hands, and starts to rub your clit. With this being the 3rd round, it is overly sensitive, but he knows how much pressure you can handle.

You reach to run your fingers through his sweaty hair, and his eyes start to close. “Come on sweetie, why don’t we have a real shower and get some sleep. This will all be here when we wake”. Shawn slowly nods, the hours of travel as well as the last few hours finally catching up with him. “I love you” he says softly, staring at you. “Before we go inside, I have one more surprise for you. It isn’t totally a coincidence that I picked this place. There is some research I need to do on the property”. You look at him closely, waiting for his next sentence. “There were some meetings that I had while I was in LA a while ago”, Shawn states. “Some producers wanted to talk with me”. You look at him confused. Seeing that you aren’t joining the dots, Shawn continues. “I’m going to be singing the next Bond theme song”, he beams. “I wanted to come down here to get inspiration as well as see the museum of old work. Will you be my bond girl?” You squeal as you throw yourself on him to give him a hug. “Of course I will!”.

[minervamoon66]

Changes to Artemis Fowl

 1. The movie opens with the press swarming Fowl Manor due to A. Fowl Sr.’s recent disappearance and witness accounts of the LEPRecon siege of Fowl Manor.

 2. Mulch Diggums (a dwarf with apparently a birth defect that makes him giant by dwarf standards) is arrested by HUMAN police and taken to a secure M16 facility for interrogation.  There he proceeds to narrate the movie.

 3. Artemis likes to surf, loves the outdoors, and is bored in school.  The scene between him and his counselor at school is the ONLY time you get the Artemis Fowl from the books.

 4. HIS MOTHER IS DEAD!!!  Come the F*CK on, Disney!  Why does every mother have to die?!

 5. Artemis Jr. and Sr. bond over Sr. telling his son fairy stories, like all the time.

 6. Artemis Jr. has no idea about his family’s criminal background.  He doesn’t find out until his father goes missing and he hears it over the television. (In this scene Butler drags Artemis away from the television and out of the room instead of just turning the blasted thing off.)

 7. Opal Konboi is in this.  She’s kidnapped Artemis Sr. and is demanding Jr. give her a magic macguffin in return for Sr.’s safe return.

 8. Butler goes by Dom.  Like, the whole movie. Edit: and he's black. I didn't add that at first since it was obvious from the trailer.

 9. Juliet is his NIECE! And also twelve.

10. The secret door to Artemis Sr.’s hidden room is ridiculously easy to find.  There’s a “key” hanging out in like an umbrella stand that fits a weird spot on the floor.  ANY child, not just a super-smart one, would have figured this out ages ago, because children are curious.

11. There is no fairy book.  The scene that alludes to tracking it down has been cut.  Instead we’re treated to Artemis Sr.’s only a bad guy because he’s stealing fairy artifacts that fell into human hands.

12. Neither of the Artemis’s are very smart.  The secret door is one example, but also where Sr. hides his journal about fairies is relatively easy to find.  We’re constantly told by Mulch’s narration how smart Artemis Jr. is, but I just didn’t see it. Since there’s no book, there’s no deciphering it.  No concocting a plan. He’s just following what Sr. put in his journal.

13. Mulch introduces the fairy city like you’re walking into it, not like he’s reciting events to the cops.  Serious fourth wall break.

14. Commander Root is a woman.  I wouldn’t mind this change if it weren’t for the fact that it completely ruins Holly’s arc.

15. Holly’s arc is now she wants to clear her father’s name.  (He’s the one that stole the macguffin, to protect it.) Edit: and she's white instead of nut brown.

16. I did not like Foaly’s animation much.  He felt too slow when he was supposed to be running, and it looked like he was skipping when he did so.

17. The whole troll in Italy thing is actually fairly close to how it was in the book that I can remember. Edit: I was wrong. Upon relistening to this part there are several differences, the most obvious being an introduction to the Time Freeze in a very Checkov's gun way.

18. Holly is not out of magic.  That’s not even a thing.  Holly straight up goes AWOL after the troll incident to clear her father’s name.

19. I repeat, HOLLY IS NOT OUT OF MAGIC FOR THE ENTIRE MOVIE! And yet Artemis is STILL able to keep her captive.  The only thing Holly tries to do to escape is rattle her cell a little (no magic use that I noticed) and tried to hypnotize Juliet and Artemis a few times.  They had reflective sunglasses on, so it didn’t work.

20. Right after the fairies set up the Time Freeze, Butler hit it with an energy arrow (Holly’s shape-shifting weapon) and broke it.  So they only have 30 mins instead of hours and hours.

21. Artemis wants them to send Mulch in because his dwarven instincts will lead him to the macguffin which Artemis is sure is hidden in the manor somewhere. This isn’t the stupidest thing, except for the fact Mulch isn’t attracted to magic, but to treasure.  Mulch could have been drawn to ANYTHING expensive in that house, but the plan works because the movie needed it to.

22. Mulch’s hair has some Sedusa-like properties instead of the “turns into lock-picks” thing from the books.  It still picks locks and cracks safes, but not in the way you were expecting.

23. Artemis and Holly have a heart-to-heart about their daddies and suddenly Artemis trusts her enough to take off his glasses and let her go so she can help.  Since in this she wants to clear her father’s name, so she’s kinda on his side.  She does punch him for the whole kidnapping thing, so I’ll give them that.

24. Somehow LEPRecon can “scramble” a fairy’s magic, so Holly can’t use hers because she’s been labeled a traitor.

25. The LEPRecon sends in the troll, but Butler doesn’t go mano-y-trollo with it.  It’s a “team” effort.  Basically everyone scrambles around screaming until the troll is knocked out.  Holly was stuck in a chandelier for over half the fight.  Juliet is entirely useless.

26. Butler dies (crushed by falling troll), but then the LEPRecon have a “do the right thing” moment outside and turn Holly’s magic back on and she brings him back to life.  I guess you could say she did a magic defibrillator.  It’s all forced drama.

27. Mulch, who swallowed the macguffin to keep it safe (actually the CGI for him unhinging his jaw while creepy was one of the better bits of special effects.).  He pulls it out of his mouth and Holly uses it to bring Artemis Sr. back from near death at the hands of Opal and teleport him back to Fowl Manor.  Leaving Opal around for shenanigans later.

28. Sometime around now there’s an overly long scene of the Time Freeze collapsing.  There’s no bio bomb, no super clever way out.   The LEPRecon just give up because they’re out of time.  (at least that’s what I got from it.)

29. Artemis Sr. gives Holly a list of names her dad had of corrupt fairies, and she takes that and the macguffin back underground.

30. The movie ends with Artemis Jr. rescuing Mulch from M16 custody. Not a memory wipe in sight.  So, now M16 knows about fairies?  I’m sure that’ll be fine.

There’s probably more I’m forgetting, but that’s the major things I can think of.

Edit:

31. Invitations work differently than I remember. Here if a fairy accepts an invitation, they have to obey you. But, it's never stated whether they lose their magic if they come in uninvited. The troll fight in Italy is outdoors, so that offers no explanation.

[captainstarkbucky]

Not Like That

Not Like That

Word Count:600

Requested📨:No

Prompt from this prompt list

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

It was a friday night and you were getting ready to go out. Steve was out with Bucky and Sam doing whatever the hell they do when they’re together. You and your friends barely got to see each other so once a month y’all came up with going out once a month just to catch up and chill. 

You had a black velvet deep V cut dress that was rather tight and risqué with the slit in the front by your left thigh. You had your favorite pair of So-Kate’s and your 28” weave was straightened with care. You decided against a necklace,seeing that the cut of the dress was so deep.

 You were just about finished applying your Fenty™️ body lava to you legs when you heard the front door open. You assumed it was Steve and put away your items that used for the night. You grabbed your phone and your purse as you received a text from your friend saying she was about 30 minutes away. Steve was sitting on the couch,oblivious to your presence as he was drawn into the tv. 

“Hey baby.” You said as you walked into the living room. Steve’s eyes could have bulged out of his head when he seen you and more importantly your outfit. “Hey doll. Where are you going?” He was rather calm but his tone was very stern. “I’m going out with my friends tonight I thought I told you?” You quizzically asked as Steve stood up and ran his hands down your body.

 “Not in that outfit.” He growled,grabbing a handful of your ass. “Steve. I’m serious I’m bouta leave right now.” You reply,showing him the message. “30 mins should be more than enough time for you to cum,correct?”

—-(Issa time jump)——-

“Fuck look at that tight little pussy,gripping me.” Steve groaned out as you rode him reverse cowgirl. Your dress was hiked up around your waist as you rocked slowly back and forth against him,your head thrown back from all the pleasure. You’d came twice before this on the brink of a third orgasm. “Mmmm,oh my fuck I’m gonna cum!” You cried into the air as you began to rub your clit,increasing the speed of your bounce to stimulate your spot. 

“Cum all over your captain’s cock baby doll.” Steve growled as he thrusted into you more. “Fuck!” You yelled out as your orgasm hit you. Your legs began to shake as you slightly fell over,the high slowly dying down. Steve didn’t fall too short behind you,cumming deep inside you. 

The warmth provided a feeling of comfort for you as you laid down,your pussy exposed for him to see. You were gonna dose of until you heard your phone ringing. “Hello?” “Yea bitch I’m outside. We been waiting on you.” Your face froze in shock.

 “Damn. I think I'm staying in tonight girl.” You said feeding her some bullshit lie about work. “Girl don’t make me have to come up there.” She joked as you heard her start her car. “I’m gonna go get Y/O/F then. Bye bitch.” “Bye muthafucka.”You replied, hanging up. Steve returned with a warm washcloth to clean you up below. “You feel better now that I’m not going?” You asked Steve as you stripped yourself of the dress.

 “Yea. I really wanted to spend time with you,honestly.” He replied as you snuggled into him naked. “Well you’ve got all the time in the world with me now.” You laugh as you fall asleep slowly.

[beauti-full-lie]

Asian Drama Asks

i just wanted to answer on every question without waiting for request. And sorry for mistakes, english is not my native.

1: Favorite K-Drama? Just one? Brobably W: Two worlds

2: Least favorite K-Drama?   Flower Boy Next Door,  High-end Crush

3: First K-Drama you watched? Fated To Love You

4: Last K-Drama you watched? The Tale of Nok Du

5: K-Drama OTP(s)? Kang Chul & Oh Yeon Joo (W: Two worlds), Do Bong Soon & Ahn Min Hyuk (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon), No Ji Wook & Eun Bong Hee (Suspicious Partner), Kim Mi So & Lee Young Joon (What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?), Jang Joon Sung & Jang Yi Jin (Oh My Venus), etc.

6: K-Drama NOTP(s)? Oh Jin-hee & Oh Chang-min (Emergency Couple), Eun Ha-won & Kang Ji-woon (Cinderella with Four Knights),  Kang Han-gyul & Yoon So-rim (The Liar and His Lover). This is truly hard question haha

7: Preferred drama genre? Romance as usual

8: First drama you considered your favorite? One and best W: Two worlds

9: Favorite Korean actor(s)? Lets see... Lee Jong Suk, Park Seo Joon, Jang Ki Yong, Seong Hoon, Kang Ha Neul, etc.

10: Favorite Korean actress(es)? Han Hyo Joo, Park Bo Young, Song Hye Kyo,  Jang Na Ra, Kim So Hyeon, Lee Da Hee, etc.

11: Favorite K-Drama cliche? Sudden acquaintance from childhood

12: Least favorite K-Drama cliche? I don’t know... jast the obvious things

13: Top five K-Dramas? Oh My Venus, While You Were Sleeping, Descendants of the Sun, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon,  Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. Five is not enough.

14: Boys Over Flowers or Secret Garden? Neither

15: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo or Cheese in the Trap? Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

16: Jealousy Incarnate or Oh My Ghostess?  Jealousy Incarnate, because i didn't watch the second one yet

17: Descendants of the Sun or W: Two Worlds? I cant pick one from my top dramas

18: Moonlight Drawn by Clouds or Legend of the Blue Sea? Legend of the Blue Sea

19: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon or Shopping King Louie? Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

20: Reply 1997, Reply 1994, or Reply 1988? I did not watch any of them

21: Lee Jong Suk or Ji Chang Wook? Lee Jong Suk. He’s cutie

22: Song Joong Ki or Park Bo Gum? Mmmmmm.... Okay, sorry Bo Gum, I like you, but... Song Joong Ki

23: Jo Jung Suk or Seo In Guk? Jo Jung Suk. In Guk annoying me someway

24: Jisoo or Nam Joo Hyuk? Nam Joo Hyuk. I hate his Habaek, but in love with him in Weightlifting Fairy and Moon Lovers

25: Park Hyung Sik or Kim Soo Hyun? My puppy Park Hyung Sik

26: Favorite Lee Min Ho drama? I’m not a huge Min Ho’s fan but I love The Legend of the Blue Sea

27: Favorite K-Drama bromance? Son Oh Gong & Woo Ma Wang (Hwayugi) adoring me

28: Favorite K-Drama friendship? Bae Ta Mi & Cha Hyeon & Song Ga Kyeong (Search: WWW), Eun Dan Oh & Ha Ru & Lee Do Hwa (Extraordinary You)

29: Favorite actor/actress duo? (one male, one female)  Song Joong Ki & Song Hye Kyo (Descendants of the Sun)

30: Favorite actor duo? Lee Jung Suk & Jung Hae In (While You Were Sleeping)

31: Favorite actress duo? Kim Hye-jin & Min Ha-ri (She was pretty)

32: Do you watch dramas with 30+ episodes? Yes, I did. Five Enough was my first and only. But I’m watching Love Is Beautiful, Life Is Wonderful right now and it’s 100 episodes.

33: Thoughts on web-dramas based around idol groups? (ex: EXO Next Door) It is good for groups fans but not interesting enough for the rest as usual.

34: Favorite idol actor? Do Kyung Soo (Exo), Cha Eun Woo (Astro), Park Jin Young (Got7), Park Hyung Sik (Ze:a)

35: Favorite idol actress? Bae Su Ji (Miss A), Lee Ji Eun (IU), Im Yoon Ah (Girls Generation)

36: Song Hye Kyo or Han Hyo Joo? Song Hye Kyo is like older version of Han Hyo Joo in my imagination. I love them both a lot.

37: Nam Ji Hyun or Park Bo Young? Little peanut Park Bo Young

38: Jung Eunji or Bae Suzy? Suzy

39: Jung So Min or Kim So Hyun? i watched almost every drama with Kim So Hyun just because of her

40: Kim Seul Gi or Kim Go Eun? I don’t understand why people often saying that Kim Seul Gi is ugly looking. I think she’s pretty enough and she’s a good actress

41: Favorite Park Shin Hye Drama? I didn’t like Shin Hye until Memories of the Alhambra.This drama made me recognize that she can be annoying less.

42: Favorite K-Drama kiss scene? Oooooh.... First of all kiss in the prison in W: Two worlds, handcuffed hugs was so cute. Kiss on a piano in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hyung Sik was so passionate. Kiss in the closet in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? was romantic as heaven. I can’t remember every good kiss scene because dramas have a lot of this stuff.

43: One K-Drama you could rewatch over and over? W: Two worlds again. And again. And over again.

44: How often do you watch C-Dramas? Sometimes. I don’t like them because of the large number of episodes in most cases and it’s hard to wait long for the translation from chinese

45: How often to you watch Thai Dramas? Rarely. But sometimes good things come across. If the main female character is less hysterical

46: How often do you watch J-Dramas? I watched just a few of them. I like Japanese anime more

47: Least preferred type of drama between Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dramas? Japanese

48: Favorite C-Drama? Weiwei's Beautiful Smile

49: Favorite J-Drama? Good Morning Call

50: Favorite Thai Drama? Full House

51: Go-to K-Drama when you have nothing else to watch? I almost only watch them all of time

52: Favorite male lead character? Kang Chul W: Two worlds is my presious secretly boyfriend haha

53: Favorite female lead character? Cha Hyeon (Search: WWW). I like her so much. She’s so girly sometimes and cute, and smart. She remind me myself as well when she obsessed watching TV shows

54: Recommend 3 fluffy AF dramas Touch Your Heart, Something About 1%, Fight for My Way

55: Recommend 3 angsty AF dramas Tomorrow With You, Before We Get Married, Hotel Del Luna

56: Recommend 1 mini-drama (any # of episodes, each last <30 minutes) Three Color Fantasy: The Universe's Star

57: Recommend 1 mini-series (30+ episodes, 1hr long each) Love Is Beautiful, Life Is Wonderful

58: List 3 dramas you plan you watch When the Camellia Blooms, The Light in Your Eyes, Time

59: Tell a random story involving K-Dramas I can’t remember anything

60: Name one drama you dropped, and explain why Mischievous Kiss. I like anime a lot, and thai tv-version, but korean one... i can’t, it’s too much silly

original post

[lexstellaris]

Daily Draw - 28/4/23 - Sacred Rebels Oracle (Alana Fairchild)

41 - Bring It Into Form

I've drawn this card a few times in previous readings. It's a call to action, to stop thinking, and start doing. A card of action, and creative expression. You can't achieve things simply by thinking them. You have to do them. It's definitely something I often struggle with, not just with creativity but with other mundane life things too.

It's that sense of uncertainty, not wanting to know, maybe it won't work, maybe I'll fail. That often stops me from doing things I need to do. And it ties in with some of the things Sobek was telling me in meditation tonight. Do the thing. bc you'll regret it if you don't.

I actually really like the imagery of this card, of someone walking along the shoreline, where the waves are moving back and forth, and their footprints remain there in the wet sand. That's what it evokes for me. And the water drops become flowers - or fireflies - as they come into the air. It's that change in form, from something passive, to something active.

There are definitely things I've been procrastinating on. I've got minecraft builds, and artwork, and fics, and ofc other life admin and spiritual/magical work to do. Sometimes I do need that kick in the pants to do them, or finish them, bc otherwise I'll just let them stay by the wayside, forgotten ideas that could have been great if I'd done something with them.

I almost didn't do Senut tonight. I was out at a comedy gig, and while we were home before 9pm, I was still tired, and almost just went for the shortform Kemetic rite I have in my daily rituals book. But Sobek was gentle, and said it was still a good day, and I could do Senut. Just change into clean clothes. The habit won't form if I don't keep it up. And I'm glad I did, and that I have gods so willing to work with my limitations.

I've spent a long time trying to build my spiritual practices back to where they used to be. The pandemic and uni and burn out took a lot out of me, and I'm honestly surprised I kept my 5 min meditation in the morning throughout it all. But it was the anchor that kept me going, and now I'm in a headspace where I'm ready to expand my work.

I've adopted the Hellenic custom of the day starting at sunset. I do most of my spiritual work in the evenings, so it makes sense to use this time to prep for the next day, as that's what I do anyway. So much of what I've been trying to do is to find the right flow, so that these things feel effortless.

So in the evenings, it's Senut and card draws, and some other magical work that's oathbound, bc I've been neglecting that particular thing for a while and I need to get back into it.

In the mornings, I anoint my wrists with some oil dedicated to the planet of the day, then read the Orphic hymn to the same planet, then a hymn to Sobek, then the Orphic hymn to Hekate. Light incense and LED candles, and meditate for 5 mins. It's simple, but it primes my brain, and even if I don't always use that time for Work, but instead let my brain just wander, it's still valuable time to me.

I also have other magical work I've been planning on doing, and this card feels like it's poking me about that too. Stop procrastinating. Stop feeling like there's only one correct way to do the spells you wanna do. Just do them your own way. Let your self-expression come through and make them your own.

This line from the book has stuck with me:

"You are being asked to honour yourself with a commitment to complete your inspired tasks. This will help you grow ... but there is another reason - you know that your inspired ideas are worth translating into practical forms so that other people can access them and experience something special too."

I'm feeling this a lot with much of the Pharaoh Cub fics I've been working on and contemplating writing. Fanfic is very much an avenue for me to process gender feels and explore spirituality and god stuff in a way that's abstract enough for me to work with.

But there's also things here with my Minecraft Java solo world. It's build as a town centred around Hekate and Her worship. I'm working on the cathedral that will sit in the centre of town. And I know I'm procrastinating bc I don't want to mess it up, even though I've built it already in creative and I just need to copy that. There's the fear of it not turning out as good as I want it to. But it won't build itself, so in order to continue the lore of that town, I need to finish it.

Since I don't need to work again until Wednesday, I have plenty of time to start working on these things, and putting in some work towards completing them. bc sometimes you need the universe to kick you in the pants and make you do the thing.