#this is me trying to read Spring Breakout

[zahri-melitor]

There is definitely a set of characters in comics that are what I might refer to as 'reality distorters'. Every time they end up in a story the story starts to revolve around them. And frequently your tolerance for this comes down to your tolerance for said character.

This becomes super obvious when it's a character you are indifferent to or actively dislike is the black hole that just got plopped into your story and started to force everyone else to act in ways that don't make sense or are just subservient to the reality distorter.

The most commonly cited one in DC would be Batman, in terms of annoying people by showing up in far too many stories. Leading to people who are neutral on him by trying to read about other characters slowly ending up down the 'why is he HERE' rabbithole.

But he's certainly not the only one and honestly Harley Quinn is top of my list, especially as she not only distorts the narrative but she shifts the genre every time she appears and makes everything revolve around her.

[n0odlz]

How they got their acne

*This is so random but I thought this would be fun to write. MORE PRACTICE!!

Joshua Levi™

He's got acne, but how'd it get there? I mean.. Almost every day as a kid, his mom would force him to get in the tub, even if it meant missing a new episode of whatever sci-fi show was on. Most people would say, "Oh, he's just going through puberty. " which is true.. But there's still other factors.

He doesn't wash his face.. Like AT ALL. All that sweat accumulates and gets trapped under his skin. And it's not like he's sweating from being outside (like he'd go out there on purpose for any unnecessary amount of time), he sweats. BADLY. In the summer, spring, winter, fall. No matter the weather, you best believe he's sweating.

At some point, his acne got worse because he tried using some old Star Wars lotion he found at the back of Joe's from.. 199..something. Somehow the idea of expired lotion didn't make him think, "hey, I shouldn't use this, it's probably older than me". Yeahhh... No.

Billiam Dickle

It's not really on his face, more on his body. On his shoulders, chest, and ESPECIALLY his back, all because he keeps wearing that same nasty ass flannel! He just doesn't wanna change it. It only gets out in the washer when Jane gets forced to sneak in his room to steal it so at least *something* of his can get clean.

Another reason he has acne on his body so bad is because he's always under the covers no matter if it's hot or cold, he STAYS under that blanket. Mostly to read comics after his set bedtime with a little flashlight on but any other time it's because Pete scared him so bad with yet another underground horror film he probably bought from a dealer, and now he thinks the killer is under his bed, ready to grab his ankles and snatch him up.

Jerome Strokes

Out of everyone in the group, he has the least acne. Just like Josh, he was forced to bathe everyday as a child, only...He still gets forced to clean himself. If that doesn't work out, one of his parents has to check if his hair is wet and actually smells decent for once.

He only gets away with not showering if he isn't forced to hug his mom on the way to a club meeting or something, that usually works.

At some point, he didn't shower for 3 months because he was up day and night scripting a roleplay for D&D

_______________________________

"I'm not even gonna try hard at the shower because it doesn't have things like slurp juice, floppers, or medi-bedi's"

That's literally Jerry

Peteroni Ditalini

Probably has the most acne out of everyone COMBINED

All the times he's been forced in the kitchen to cook.. All that heat and oil popping on him accumulates and just makes everything worse.

Sometimes he even has breakouts because his sister wants to test a new skin cleanser on him like he's an animal in a testing lab. This is bad because it makes him avoid any cleanser, soap, or lotion because he thinks he's gonna break out from it. Now he's just musty 💔

He mostly has it on his face and upper back because his brothers and dad force him to go outside and play a sport or two. It's bad when they play football cuz he's got sensitive skin (and of course he's gonna be targeted for tackling since he's the smallest guy) so when he hits the grass, it gets really bad with the breakouts.

Playing outside and getting a rash from the grass on top of not washing your face or hands when you get inside because you think you might get a week long rash is NOT a good combination.

And a little special edition with my oc😛

(Someone has GYATT to read this 🙏🏾)

Mya Hydraulics

Definitely has the least acne out of all of them (ofc) since she washes her face. But sometimes.. That just doesn't help.

She mainly has acne on her forehead because of all the oil and gel she puts in her hair. It's even worse when it's hot outside because allllll that hair product just leaks onto her forehead.

Sometimes she gets a pimple or two on her chin or near her nose and right up under her eye and those hurt like a BITCH 💔. Now she has to go to work with pimple patches on her face because even with her long ass nails, she does NOT wanna pop those

"Welcome to Joe's. Please don't steal shit because I don't get paid enough to stop you"

"What the hell is on your face? You look like an upset orc who became a victim of the dirty bubble"

"... "

[wistfulrat]

・❥・lesbian wangxian reccs ・❥・

ao3topships poll gate made me realize there are hundreds nay thousands of u who dont know abt lesbian wangxian ?? that’s so sad can i proselytize u real quick

mimilamp cinematic universe (the ppl’s mcu) sorry for starting this list with a whole author catalog. as if it's my fault!! these gave me covid. no listen mimilamp fics have feverish lesbian angst levels of hot horny despair that could paralyze a large forest animal. and on a sentence level it's just stunning. messy dykes fumbling toward love confessions while making emotionally insane choices and the sex scenes fuckn bang ??? god is real

good, good - 13.5k E Wei Ying has two broken wrists and now she needs Lan Zhan to help her do stuff (jerk off)

here’s a story - 46k E Wei Ying reluctantly joins her recently-dumped best friend, Lan Zhan, on a couples' holiday retreat. Snow! Drinks! Truth or dare! There's a s-s-s-single bed! You'll never guess what happens next.

out of your system - 20k E “Maybe you should get me out of your system,” Wei Ying blurts. “Maybe that’ll help.” // Wei Ying finds out her best friend Lan Zhan is in love with her and offers a really super solution.

exposure therapy - 14k E Wei Ying clambered up from the floor, put the joint on the corner of the night stand, announced, “Exposure therapy,” and got into Lan Zhan’s bed. // Lan Zhan doesn't like to be touched, Wei Ying likes to touch.

know no one else - 20k E Lan Zhan moves out, Wei Ying's boyfriend moves in. Six months later, Lan Zhan visits, they go to a party, and Wei Ying has something to tell her.

74243 this author should be studied in a lab bc these 2 fics ruined my life. a pulitzer prize short fic with immaculate tone followed by the fuck nastiest shit you will ever read. "wei ying swipes right" still a top 3 bar of all time re: fic summaries. like people died.

chef’s kiss - 6.5k E Wei Ying said, “You know, in some ways I’m kind of depressed. I took your biggest dick on my first try. Now I don’t have anything to build up to.” “There are bigger ones available,” Lan Zhan said lazily. “I can pay for express shipping.” // (Lan Zhan works the late shift.)

pull out game weak - 22.7k E Wei Ying swipes right.

plonk this is the only fic in many ways. dyke nmj's mustache academy award winning breakout role. possessive hot dyke lwj. the sentence "don't knot her you freak." have u ever seen a group chat get rabies in real time. the slut rot breached containment. it was a public health crisis. it brought back horny cinema. cultural reset.

good friends - 11.5k E “I could invite her over for when the game’s done,” Nie Mingjue offers. Lan Zhan hums, considering it. They do that sometimes. Take omegas down together.

occultings will i ever get tired of -wwx thinks she's straight and wants to practice being gay with sadsack lwj who is like sure im in love with u and this will cause me psychic damage but mayhaps that's the cost of being homiesexual--? no i dont get tired of the classics it's called taste

give me one good honest kiss - 25k E The text keeps flashing over and over in Lan Zhan's head like the bulb lights on a marquee. They’d been talking about homework directly before that, swapping notes on music theory in the baroque period. Then, like a fork of lightning out of a clear blue sky: wanna practice kissing? 😚 // Wei Ying suggests an arrangement. Lan Zhan, in love, deals.

saltyfeathers ok so like sure it's ill advised to get your cartilage pierced at claire's but if you wanted the experience of participating in deranged hysteric behavior that kinda bangs in a badgood way? well then.

the mall that has it all - 8k E She introduced herself in the food court, breathless after sprinting across it in Lan Zhan’s direction and vaulting over a table only to crash into the seat across from her, ask, “Can I have a sip?”, spring forward with both elbows on the table to wrap her burgundy lips around Lan Zhan’s smoothie straw, wrinkle her nose, and say, “What is that, kale? Not really my thing, as like, a mall goth. Oh!” A pleased, chaotic exhale. “My name’s Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan said, after taking a moment to fully process the last forty-five seconds, “What?” or; mall goth au

[cerridwen007]

Wrong to want you like I do. Part 1.

Pairing: (No Breakout AU) dbf!Joel Miller and f!reader.

Word count: 1.7k (18+) MINORS DNI!

Summary: You're back in your hometown for the year to earn some cash while you work out what you wanna do with your life. The only problem is its spring; rainy season. And you don’t own a car nor do you know how to drive, so when you get caught in a big storm, you finally end up relying on your dad’s best friend to come and help.

Notes/Warnings: Smut/Fluff, swearing, Joel being a softie sweetheart for reader, oral(m receiving), mention of f masturbation, age gap (reader early 20’s/Joel 56), shy/awkward reader, no y/n.

A/N: Hoping on the dad’s best friend Joel train cause I have been eating those fics up lately, and they are so fricken good. Is this inspired by myself and the fact that I had to walk in the pouring rain to work on the other side of town and just spent the whole time daydreaming that I could have Joel come and pick me up? Maybe? So yes it’s a little self-indulgent cause I just am such a passenger princess, but I would be hella willing to learn to drive if Joel taught me hehe. I plan on making this a slow burn fic series, so let me know if y'all would want more. As always, thank you for any interactions with any of my posts. It's all very much appreciated. I'm also on A03 if you prefer reading on that platform. And my inbox is always open if you wanna chat! Enjoy bebes.

********

“Fuck.” 

It was that time of year again where basically every week there was rain and lots of it. Normally you wouldn’t mind the rain, especially if you got to stay at home all day, with a nice cup of tea, reading or watching a movie and letting it lull you to sleep when night fell. But today, where you actually had to go out and walk to work without a car, it made your life a bit difficult.

Your parents had been kind enough to drive you to and from work a lot of the time, to which you generously compensated them for. But on days like this where they were both busy with work, and you didn't really have anyone else to ask for a ride from in your small town, you stubbornly decided to just walk in the pouring rain.

Usually you didn't mind, in fact you kind of enjoyed walking the long distance to work on the other side of town but times like these where the weather was shit, it was a dreadful experience. After you finished getting ready for work, you finally walked out the door and locked up the house. 

You sighed as you began to walk down you drive way and down your street, as not only was it raining heavily it was also windy as fuck, so the old umbrella you brought with you to try and protect yourself from the rain was threatening to bust with every swoop of wind that it got caught in. At least you had some music to entertain you, you thought as an old love song played through your earphones. You half-heartedly laughed at yourself, so you didn’t cry with how fucken soaked you were going to be when you got to work, therefore uncomfortable your entire shift. 

As you turned onto a busier road, you scowled a little at the drivers going past you in your cars, and as if your sour face triggered one of them, a truck going past suddenly pulled over next to you. Swallowing harshly, unsure of how this interaction was going to go, you warily walked past the truck. 

“Need a ride sweetheart?” A deep southern voice calls out.

You turn to get a better look at the source of the voice that called to you, and your shoulders immediately ease up. It was Joel, your dad’s best friend. A grumpy yet giving man who had known you since you were a young kid. And had also secretly been the star in your wet dreams and fantasies since you were old enough to think about those things. Your stomach fluttered with butterflies as he gave you a soft smile and leaned over to open his passenger door.  You quickly got in and gave a big sigh of relief to be out of the cold and the rain. He chuckled softly and waited for you to put your seatbelt on. 

“Couldn’t catch a ride with Mom or Dad today, honey?” Joel asks, his big brown eyes melting from the inside out.

“Nah, they were both working, so they couldn't run me to work.”

Joel nods and starts up his truck again before driving off in the direction of your work. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you.

“D'ya wanna put your music on sweet girl?” Joel asks after a few minutes.

You blush and look down shyly at your lap from the nickname. Butterflies continue to brew in your stomach. 

“Uh you probably won’t like the music I was listening to.” You awkwardly laugh.

“You don’t know that and besides even if it is horrible, I won’t mind one bit cause it’s what ya like.” Joel says, offering you a kind smile.

Your cheeks start to burn, you try and fight off the curve of the smile that threatens to upturn your lips but lose. You eventually pull out your phone and plug it into Joel's soundsystem and play the last song you were listening to.

Both of your eyebrows match each other from curiosity, as a slow melody begins to fill the cabin of the truck.

“When Sunny gets blue, her eyes get grey and cloudy and then the rain begins to fall.”

You look over to Joel's profile, his warm eyes transfixed on the road before him, his lips slightly smirking, a stark contrast to the rest of his overwise, hard exterior. A beat goes by, and you remember that you're starting and should look away.

“Then the rain begins to fall, pitter patter, pitter patter.”

“Didn't pin you for an old school music kinda gal, no offense, darling.”

You softly laugh. “Yeah well I like all kinds of music to be honest, but I just thought I would try and romatisic walking in the pouring rain to work and make it less miserable.”

Joel hums at your answer, seemingly not hating the music and maybe even enjoying the slow tunes. A new song starts playing as you near your work.

“Just a song before I go, to whom it may concern.”

“Mhhmmm good song. Love me some Crosby, Stills, and Nash.”

You smile to yourself thinking how when you first heard this song it reminded you of Joel. Your smile falters when you arrive at work and realise you have to leave Joel.

“Well thank you so much for the ride. Honestly such a life saver.”

“Anytime doll. Have a good shift.”

*********

That whole shift, your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Joel, and you kept having to catch yourself, smiling wide to yourself like a dork. Quickly biting your tongue so you wouldn't get weird looks from the grin plastered on your face. Then your mind traveled to other places as you imagined yourself ‘thanking’ Joel for the ride.

“Thank you for the ride, Joel. However can I thank you?”

“Aw you don't need to thank me sugar, just seeing your pretty face is thanks enough.”

Your hands reach over and lightly grip the middle of his thigh, rubbing back and forth. Your eyes glossing over with lust as you glance at him. 

“Are you sure? I could help you with something in return.”

You watch him closely, grinning as his Adam's apple bobs, swallowing thickly.  You peer down at his jeans and see his evident excitement growing in his jeans, you bite your lip as you boldly cup him through his denim’s. He begins panting, a growl forming in the back of his throat, both a warning and dare to keep going. 

You move so you are more parallel, facing Joel and begin to slowly unzip his jeans. You shuck his jeans halfway down his thighs. Your mouth subconsciously waters, looking at his hefty size straining through his black boxers. You finally reach out and grab him through his boxers. Joel's head falls back against his head rest, a hiss passing through his teeth. 

You smile as you take his weeping cock out from its restraints. His girthy size, uncovered elicits a small gasp from you, to which he grins crookedly at. Before you let intimidation get the best of you, you reach out and start stroking his cock, your fingers barely touching where they meet around his width, before your thumb comes to swipe along his slit, shiny with pre-come.

“Don’t tease baby.” he softly growls before repeating it in a softer tone. “ Please don’t tease me baby.”

You look up at him with your doe eyes and mock a frown. Which immediately upturns when your hand quickly fastens it’s strokes, granting a soft moan from Joel's lips. He screws his eyes closed, tightly, relishing in the feel of your soft hands gripping him tightly, milking his pleasure.

The sounds of his growls turned whimpers as you bring him closer to his high spur you on with pure determination. You lower your body till your tongue makes contact with his tip, licking around the salty dark red head. Joel’s body jolts slightly, the muscles in his thighs tensing for a moment. You smile to yourself from how sensitive Joel is as you slip his tip past your lips. 

“Fuck…” He quietly whispers.

His chest rises up and down rapidly, and he wills himself to open his eyes so he can see the beauty before him. He swears he nearly comes as he makes eye contact with you, your pretty eyes boring into his own, as you take him deeper into your mouth. His big hand comes up to cup the back of your head, resting gently on your scalp. You moan around him at the sweet, comforting gesture.

You can tell he is holding back the urge to buck his hips and fuck your face, the thought which makes your panties continue to grow wetter. But for now you're glad he is letting you take control, letting you thank him. You grip his length a big tighter and stroke what can’t fit into your mouth faster, letting your head lower till his tip touches the back of your throat. You try to fight back the tears that threaten to spill from the corners of your eyes. 

He mutters curse words softly to himself, trying to fight off his nearing orgasm, wanting to feel you hot, wet, perfect mouth around him long as possible, a feeling he could easily get used to, get addicted to. His thumb comes to brush away a stray tear that falls down your blushed cheeks. 

“Fuck…Fuck look so pretty like this darling…taking my fat cock down your throat.”

You can tell he is teetering on the edge as usually quiet Joel is replaced by the Joel who speaks filthy words endlessly into the air.

“Fuck your such a good girl, sucking my cock so damn good for me.”

“You're too good at that sweetheart, sucking the goddamn soul out of me.”

You moan around his cock at his praise, your other hand reaches down to play with his balls.

The combined stimulation is enough to send him over the edge. Joel pants, whines and moans as you work him through his high, eventually pulling away when he hisses from oversensitivity.

Your daydreams are caught short when your boss calls out to you, telling you to go down to storage and get something. You literally shake your head trying to get rid of the dirty fantasies that stain your mind. God forbid anyone could read your mind.

You try and stop thinking about Joel the rest of the shift to which you surprisingly succeed. You do end up with your hand down your pyjama shorts later that night, softly mewing out Joel's name into the quiet late night. Oh how you couldn't wait for another rainy day.

******

[i-love-the-smell-of-your-blood]

Begging my mother to stop commenting on my hair like she understand my hair texture

My mother has curly thin fine hair that never gets greasy and is so dry and brittle it’s breaking and falling out

I have thick fine wavy hair that gets greasy in under 24 hours because I have my dad’s genetics

My mother does not understand that I can’t just magically make my hair less greasy without a shower and feels like she must comment that my hair looks disgusting and wet (it’s slightly greasy right now because it is my time for a shower but I can’t shower tonight because there are THREE OTHER PEOPLE USING MY BATHROOM TONIGHT). My mother also does not understand that no, using a different shampoo from the one I use right now will not make my hair less greasy either. And she knows this because over spring break she made me buy an entirely new shampoo to try that was supposed to help greasy haired people. It did jack shit and actually made my skin breakout.

Like I’m pretty sure I’m the one who knows how to take care of the hair on my head

I’m pretty sure my mom read one thing online once and decided that because I’m here kid she can tell me what to do with my hair and she thinks she knows better or that I can just magically change what my hair does (also this not new, my hair has always done this and she knows that)

Meanwhile this so the same woman who can’t figure out how to keep her hair from falling out (she refuses to go to the doctor for it even though she bitches and moans like crazy about it). Like girl I’m not taking advice from you.

[steviewashere]

Still You

Pairing: Platonic Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler, Pre-Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler & Barbara Holland Rating: General CW: None Apply! Tags: Post Canon, Post Season Four, Coming Out, Hugging, Platonic Hand Holding, References to Canon Scenes, Apologizing, Making Up, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Forgiveness, Nancy Wheeler is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart

💛—————💛

They aren’t very close anymore. But still, Nancy finds herself calling out, “Steve?”

There’s a Dungeons & Dragons gathering in her basement. Mike and his friends are all there, circled around Eddie as the dungeon master. And Steve’s sitting on the sideline, comfortably reading an old magazine, feet propped up on Robin’s lap. She wonders what it’s like, to have a best friend that close still. After everything.

He immediately drops what he’s reading. Eyes shooting up to the stairs where she’s standing. His face growing pale and concerned. “Yeah, Nance? Are you okay?”

She wants to roll her eyes, scoff or something. How can he still care, she wonders. But doesn’t let herself linger on that. Simply, she asks, “Can you come to my room really quick? I need to talk to you about something.” She half expected the room to breakout in whoops and cheers on behalf of Steve, something about winning over the girl, something about getting his groove back. But there must be something in her voice, timid and shaking, that causes them to just stare at her. Wide-eyed, hands stilled over their dice, leaning towards their backpacks where their walkies all are. Eddie looks up from his screen, eyes flicking to here, eyebrows raised. His silent question, Do you need me, too? She looks away without acknowledging. Sure, somehow and for some reason, they’ve grown close as friends. But this is a Steve conversation.

It’s a conversation that she’s been dreading for years. He follows up the stairs after her, slow and careful like he’s about to be scolded. She’d laugh in another life. Maybe in that life it’s one where this conversation actually doesn’t need to happen. In that life, monsters aren’t real and they’re probably still together and life is simply…simple.

When they get to her room, he shuts the door softly behind them. Though, instead of entering any further than the doorway, he stands idle. She supposes it’s odd, to have your ex-partner ask to have a private conversation with you. There’s six feet between them where she settles on the edge of her bed. Arms crossed over her chest. Head tilted south. Her stomach churns uneasily. Out of the corner of her eye, Steve remains stock still, just the slight twitching of his fingers noticeable, as if he’s itching to reach out or put them somewhere.

She takes a steadying deep breath. “Do you remember—No, sorry, of course you remember that night.” Her hands fall to her lap, rubbing up and down on her thighs. Nancy lifts her head, throwing a sparing glance at Steve. He’s so expressive—concerned and petrified. “Halloween, 1984,” she murmurs, “I said some things that I could never take back. And that sort of lead to our whole falling out. Just—I just wanted to apologize. For what I said.”

“Forgiven,” he states. “Honestly? I think a part of me forgave you the moment you called me, well, y’know. Needed to hear the truth, didn’t I?” Steve chuckles self-deprecatingly.

“No, Steve,” she hits back. Her eyes lock on him now. Probably scared and haunted. Definitely determined, maybe a little crazed. “Steve, I don’t think you heard me. I said that I’m apologizing.”

“And I’m forgiving you,” he murmurs. “Nance, we were traumatized teenagers. We are still traumatized. I was expecting you to spring back and move on. But that’s—Nancy, there’s no real way to bounce back from the shit we’ve experienced,” he explains, “you, especially so.”

She huffs. “What do you mean?”

“Nance,” he sighs. “You lost your best friend, obviously you weren’t going to go back to normal. Of course what I was trying to do was bullshit. I forgive you. Is that—“

“Okay,” she mutters, closing her eyes and nodding to herself. “Yeah, okay, I guess it’s that easy. Can I—“ Her right hand drags up from her leg, reaching out towards Steve, fingers spread. Eyes pleading.

He comes closer, taking her hand softly. But instead of sitting down, he just stands, holding her hand. They’re both trembling. She soothes her thumb over the back of his hand. “Can I tell you the other thing?” She whispers. Then, finally, he sits down. There’s a good six inches of space between them now. But it’s okay. It’s comforting. The warmth. The way he holds to her, it almost reminds her what it’s like to be normal.

She takes another deep breath, he squeezes her palm, and she swallows. Eyes away, towards her dresser, at the drawer filled with old polaroids. The one place in the world where Barb still exists. “Robin,” she begins, “told me it would be okay to tell you this.” Her other hand comes up, fingertips tracing his nail beds. They’re dry, slightly indented from him biting his nails, a couple chipped with clear polish. “I don’t think I’ve ever been normal,” she whispers, “What I had, what I felt with Barb isn’t considered normal.” Her voice stops there.

“Okay,” he murmurs, “it’s okay to not be normal, Nance. It’s alright—“

“Steve, I like girls,” she rushes out in one breath. Her palm squeezing in a vice grip, though Steve doesn’t make a sound. “It doesn’t change what I had felt for you at one point,” she elaborates, “I think I’ve always been like this. But I still like guys. Just—I—The reason I’m telling you is because it has to do with that Halloween. Yes, I was mourning Barb, but I was…Steve, she—“ Her voice wobbles, edging on a soft cry. He slowly brings up his other hand, placing it on her shaking shoulder. Squeezing there, too. “—She was, I loved her, Steve,” Nancy confesses. “But I didn’t realize until I lost her and I tried. I tried really hard to get over it all, to go back to normal, but I couldn’t. Even with Jonathan, something has always felt—I don’t know,” she softly cries, “I don’t know, Steve. I’m sorry.”

All at once, though carefully, Steve brings her into his warmth. A hug, tight and gentle. Encompassing. His comfort like a blanket on her back. He quietly hushes. “It’s alright, Nance,” he breathes, “don’t apologize.” He drags a palm down her spine, up and down in slow strokes. “Whatever you’re feeling is okay. It’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

She wraps back, crying messily into his shoulder, letting herself finally collapse. The weight of Barb’s absence, those feelings trapped between shadows and fighting, any mistakes she’s made—all of it comes crashing down. In something familiar, in the presence of normality, so foreign to her but somehow correct. Somehow welcomed in this moment.

When she’s able to pull back, Steve’s palms cup her cheeks. Swiping away the tacky tears trying to dry on her skin. He looks upon her with soft reverence. Every movement from his thumbs like dragging away part of the mold she’s tried to stick herself in. 

“Thank you for telling me,” he whispers when they lock eyes. “Thank you for apologizing. I forgive you and I understand, okay? This—none of this—changes who you are to me, who you were to me at the time, and it won’t change a single damn thing. You’re still Nancy Wheeler. And I still adore you, alright?” He nods and she finds herself nodding back.

She finds herself admitting, too, chuckling with it, “I think I really like Robin. Which…That scares me. She kind of—It’s almost like talking to Barb again, sometimes.”

He smiles at her, something soft and knowing. “It’s alright to be scared,” he whispers. “And it’s also okay to think more about it. I’m here if you want to talk. I’m also here if you want me to set you guys up,” he lowly chuckles. And for a moment, their small giggles filling her bedroom, she’s almost normal. This moment will probably be the closest thing she gets to that time before Barb disappeared.

Steve’s familiar warmth, his words, his actions swaddle her. She heaves a sigh as he removes his palms from her face. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that,” she laughs. “Wanna go bug her in the basement with me? Might make this easier.”

“Sure,” he mutters, “And, Nance?” She looks to him. “You’re secret is safe with me. I promise.”

She nods again. “Thank you, Steve. I knew I could trust you.”

💛—————💛

[opie-nixx]

What choice would you have me make? (CHAP 18.)

Okay, for those of you that haven't, I beg you to read the 1st chapter I have pinned to my page. I knooowww it might be cringey and I apologize, I had an idea and I wanted to keep it going and get it uploaded. Ik not the best but it's not terribly horrible. Please enjoy.

Arthur: "Yew are the most beautiful woman I have ever had the pleasure of bein with." He slurs.

Y/n: "Thank you, Arthur." I say, trying to get Arthur to come back to camp. Currently he is on the ground not too far from camp, but he fell off his horse even though in his drunken state he assured me he could ride.

'Foolish of me to actually trust what a drunk Arthur says...Does this mean he trusts me to be in this carefree state.'

I grip the reins on both of our horses and begin to lead them to a small clearing of some trees. Arthur pushes himself up and wobbles off the beaten path, moving a bit past me before settling against an evergreen tree. I stretch taking a deep breath, letting my body take its own breather from the never ending soreness from riding all the time.  Putting 1 foot in front of the other, crunching leaves and twigs below me, I hover over Arthur.

 Y/n: "Feelin okay?" I ask cocking my head to the side, gazing into his blue eyes. I squat next to him before planting my ass on the ground beside him. I hear a sigh escape him and he grasps my hand in his, interlocking our fingers.  Turning his head towards me, he smiles. My heart flutters mostly because Arthur Morgan is smiling at me. Why wouldn't I get so flustered? Giving my hand a squeeze pulls me from my thoughts and I give him a smile of my own.

Arthur: "You sure you like bein with an ugly bastard like me?" His smile falters as does mine, liquor pungent in his presence.

Y/n: "What?" I scoot to where I sit across from him concern removing my smile as my heart drops to my stomach. His eyes look off to the side averting my gaze

Arthur: "I just feel like my time for bein happy has past me and I wouldn't blame-"

Y/n: "Shut up." His eyes land back on mine.

Y/n: "If anything you're a grump." I chuckle, earning a smirk from him.

Y/n: "Be kind to yourself Arthur. You deserve a lot more credit than you get, in fact you're looks are a bonus to bein with you." I place my hand on his lap.

Grabbing my hand, he pulls me on to of him. Putting my knee on each side of his hip, straddling him, his free hand moves to the small of my back. The alcohol very apparent from his sigh. But, he had a different look on his face.

Y/n: "Whats wro-" Before I could even think about getting anything else out his lips are on mine and his scruffy beard is digging into my face yet again. 1 thing that amazes me is that it never makes me itchy or have any sort of breakout. I giggle into the kiss thinking about this.

Arthur: "What?" He asks pausing the kiss for a second. I lean in before replying.

Y/n: "Nothing." I place my hands on his broad taught shoulders. It was then I realized that he was adding tongue. My lips spread, letting him in as he began frenching me. My mind once again going blank as I let him take the lead, a bulge certainly becoming more apparent the more soft moans would escape me. Swiftly moving my hands to his gun belt and taking them off with a click, unzipping his pants his cock springs free. My hands grazed the tip of his pulsing member. The feeling forcing him to draw in a sharp breath and clench his hands tight on my hips to keep from bucking into my touch. He pulls me forward, pressing the shaft of his member up against my slick pussy. Grinding on his length with aggravating listlessness just to tease him. His blue orbs piercing into my devilish e/c orbs. I pull away from him and begin to unbutton my shirt and take off my pants not breaking eye contact with each other he strokes his cock which was practically dripping with my excitement. I feel my heart race and my face heat up as I slowly position my pussy over Arthur's cock. Slowly lowering myself onto his girthy member, I feel my walls stretch to adjust to his size. I feel another substance leak from me once I reach all the way down onto his lap, a small euphoric feeling making my eyes flutter back, Arthur leans his head against the tree with his eyes closed as his hips begin to slowly buck snapping me out of my own moment. I raise my hips up till only the head remained and soon dropped down, repeating the process over and over again, grinding my hips and slamming onto him. Whatever it took to hear those gruff moans or

'Good Girl~' 

Grabbing my tits the way his fingers shot over, massaging them and getting a good feeling, I could tell he was amazed at how much louder my moans got. His hand that was on my hip soon moves to grip my ass as I continue to bounce on his cock. 

(Charles was on his way out of camp, trotting on his horse when he was about to turn out of camp. He heard faint cries that he thought for a second resembled you voice. Deciding to hop off his horse and going to investigate, he begins on his path. Coming across yours and Arthur's horse, he raises an eyebrow. Your cries becoming louder and louder the closer he got. Almost falling over, his eyes widen as he comes across the fact that you weren't crying but in fact riding Arthur. His own face began to flush as he watched the way your hips moved and your ass jiggled everytime you slammed down on his cock. His gaze traveling upwards only to snap and meet Arthur's cocky gaze. A smirk present on his face as he catches Charles eyes. Arthur grips your ass a bit tighter before delivering a sharp hard smack leaving a red hand print. A loud yipe emitting from you from his actions. Arthur chuckles as Charles backs away.)

A tightness forming in the pit of my stomach as my hips rolled. Arthur begins to buck his hips and met me halfway. My pussy seemed to milk his cock for everything it had. He groaned hard as he suddenly pushed himself up wrapping his arms around me, holding onto me like I was an angel as he kissed me with no restraint. That tightness in my pit becoming tighter and tighter the more he thrusted. Soon I couldn't hold that pressure in my pit and I wrapped my arms around Arthur's neck as tight as I could as my pussy convulsed and squirted all of my juices over his groin. Soon enough he pushed in as far as his cock could go, before pulling out and  cumming all over our chests.

I push myself away from Arthur and land on my back. My legs to weak to stand, I feel them begin to shake.

Arthur: "You okay, darlin?" He asks as I hear his clothes ruffle and his gun belt click. I nod as my chest heaves for air.

Y/n: "I just got a whole ass workout." I beam at him, he laughs as he extends his calloused palm which I gladly grasp in my hand.

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

Waking up underneaths Arthur's grasp may sound romantic but I must say its a bit tight. I hear faint rough coughs and decide to slither out of his grasp as quietly as I could. Swiping his jacket that was on our chair in the bedroom and draping it on my shoulders I make my way down the steps as quietly as I could, not wanting to disturb anyone sleeping. The coughing sounding more hoarse as I quietly shut those big white doors.

Rounding the steps and making my way to Pearson's wagon, I began to make a mint green tea with honey, luckily Pearson had some water slowly simmering.

'At least it'll be hot for him.' Grabbing a bottle of whiskey and Hosea's tea, I slowly make my way over to him. I glance to see Hosea hunched over grabbing his chest, my heart tightens and I feel a lump form in my throat. He glances up as I hold out the cup for him, which he gladly takes. Taking a seat next to him in front of the warm cackling fire, I hear him breath clearly for once.

Hosea: "Thank you, Y/n." He says softly.

Y/n: "No problem." I say as I untwist the whiskey bottle, throwing my head back and taking a swig.

Hosea: "You're a good kid, Y/n."

Y/n: "Maybe, but I'm glad you think so..." I take a small swig of the liquor and suck on it for a bit before saying.

Y/n: "I have to come clean, Hosea." I almost whisper as I twist the cap on the bottle and set it down. My h/c locs falling in front of my face, Hosea turns his attention to me.

Y/n: "I'm not from here and I don't know how to explain it without sounding crazy." I spill, holding my head on my hands. Hosea places his hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

Hosea: "I think we're all a little crazy. Especially with following with what Dutch says." He chuckles.

Hosea: "It must be something heavy, its not right to bottle it all up."

Y/n: "You're really not gonna believe me, but sure." I sigh before turning to him.

Y/n: "So, I wasn't really happy where I was. I'm not even really sure how I got here, but I came here from a different reality. 1 where this 1 isn't real, but I saw how almost all of you die. Like Sean was supposed to get his head blown off, Kieran was supposed to be decapitated a few days before we had a shootout and you...Listen, this bank job goes south...You get shot by Agent Milton." I explain.

Hosea: "You sure you ain't high."

Y/n: "I don't know if it was some wish I had that suddenly came true, but I'm here."

Hosea: "Wishes don't exactly come true."

'Whats something only Hosea would know....'

Y/n: "When Dutch shot that women during that Ferry job in Blackwater, you guys fled to the mountains, you lost Jenny, Mac and Davey. You guys took shelter in an abandoned mining town and Dutch gave some speech to not loose faith or hope in him. Coming down the mountain Arthur broke the wheel to the carriage...You were trying to explain to him about how the natives were sold a bad deal for there land. "I plead. Hosea sets down his cup of tea I made him with a twisted look of confusion on his face as he snatches the bottle of liquor beside me and begins chugging. I can tell he was struggling not to cough as his eyes were brimming with tears and he was grunting. He finishes the bottle before throwing it into the fire pit and turning back to me.

Hosea: "For once, this old man doesn't know what to say."

Y/n: "Hosea...Please don't do this mission tomorrow." I beg, this time it was my turn for my eyes to be brimming with tears. Hosea takes a sharp breath, before looking at me.

Hosea: "Ive lived a long life, Y/n. Its only a matter of time before Milton or this sickness gets me. I'd rather die by my own terms..If you tamper with the reality of this life then what? Will I get to live a longer life of barely being able to breathe?.." I drop my head.

Hosea: "I know you wanna help us all...But kid, I'm tired...I miss my Bessie...I wanna be with her again." He mutters sadly as I pout to him. 

Hosea: "Promise me 1 thing, kid." I sit up a bit as I nod.

Y/n: "Of course, Hosea."

Hosea: "You make sure that everyone else makes it out alive. Protect them from Dutch and all this madness." He pleads grabbing my arm. Tears escape me as I pull Hosea in a tight hug which he returns.

Y/n: "I'm gonna see this through. I promise."

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

I slowly sit up as Arthur stirs from his restful sleep. Turning to look at me he gives me a big smile.

Arthur: "Mornin, darlin." He stretches up to place a kiss to my cheek.

Y/n: "Mornin, Arthur."

Arthur: "1 more score...Well, hopefully." I bite my lip, knowing how this will end. Pushing myself out of bed I begin to get dressed for the day as does he.

Arthur: "Why don't you hang back today and let the rest of us handle this."

Y/n: "Maybe." I chuckle trying to seem positive and not wanting argue with him. He gently cups my face and brings it closer to his, soon connecting them. My mind races and my stomach does flips.

Arthur: "I love you."

Y/n: "I love you, too."

We begin to make our way down the stairs and grab some coffee. I notice how the ones that are leaving to do the bank robbery are all dressed even Abigail. In Sunday best. They're all calm, joking around a few insults here and there but they're calm. Dutch calls for them to mount up and Arthur peppers my face with kisses causing me to giggle before placing 1 on my lips. I feel someone grab my shoulder, so I turn my attention to them just to see Hosea. He seemed...different. Almost enlightened. He hands me 2 envelopes.

Hosea: "They're labelled, please make sure Arthur gets his. Read yours when you have a chance." He nods before continuing, pulling me into a tight hug.

Hosea: "You did good, kid. You're real brave." He pulls away with glossy eyes and a big grin on his face.

Hosea: "I'm comin, Bessie." He whispers as he mounts up on the carriage. I bite my lip as my eyes become glossy as well. Those who stayed behind wave them off. Sadie puts her arm around my shoulder and squeezes it every so often. It brings me a sense of relief and relaxation, I smile as I watch them ride off. As they dissappear up the road, and everyone gathered round dispersed. Except Sadie, I whisper to her before mounting my own horse.

Y/n: "Make sure the camp gets ready to move."

Sadie: "What's wrong?"

Y/n: "This job will go south, just keep it quiet and get everyone ready to run." She nods and I leave.

[baggebythesea]

Queens of the Horde - Tumblr exclusive curtain call

"Aaaaaaaand scene," Double Trouble said and bowed deeply. The audience applauded politely. Double Trouble did a little wave, and the curtain opened behind them, showing the rest of the cast smiling and waving at the audience.

"That concludes the final act of our show 'Queens of the Horde'," Double Trouble said to the audience. "Please, give a hand for our lead actresses, Glimmer and Catra!"

Beaming, the two queens stepped forward with Adora in tow and bowed deeply.

"Tell me," Double Trouble said. "What was it like carrying the narrative."

"Too much like work," Catra said. "But at least Sparkles was cute when she was mopey."

"I got to play the bad girl AND the hero," Glimmer said with a smug smirk. "It was great."

"And how about you, Adora," Double Trouble leered. "What do you think of the ending?"

"Can't hear you over the sound of me hugging Catra and Glimmer for a MONTH!" Adora said, burying her face in Catra's fur.

"And let's here it for our breakout characters," Double Trouble went on. "Jack and Frosta, also known as 'Jack Frost' or 'Snowbunny'. Thank you!"

An enthusiastic Frosta dragged a blushing Jack with her to the middle of the stage. Jack attempted a bow, but before they knew it Frosta had scooped them up in a big kiss, to the 'Oooh's and 'Aaaw's of the rest of the cast.

"How does it feel, knowing that the readers think you're the cutest thing of the entire fic?" Double Trouble asked.

"Darn tooting we are," Frosta grinned while Jack looked at the floor without being able to answer.

"What will you do now?" Double Trouble pressed on.

"We're off to a well earned vacation," Frosta said. "Did you know that Jack has never seen a hot spring? I'm taking them to Mystacor."

"You don't have to tell them that..." Jack mumbled, not looking at the audience.

"Sorry, you're just so adorable when you're flustered," Frosta teased as they stepped to the side of the stage.

"And a big hand for our lovely support characters," Double Trouble cried. "Bow, Scorpia, Entrapta, Lonnie, Netossa, Spinnerella, Perfuma, Mermista, Sea Hawk, all the rest of you, let's give them a big hand... don't set fire to the set, Hot Stuff."

The stage filled up with people as everyone tired to fit in - or in the case of Kyle, tried to hide behind the rest.

"I for one am very proud of everyone," Bow said. "This has been a great show."

"Go us," Mermista said with dry voice and snuffed out a torch Sea Hawk was secretly trying to light.

"DID SOMEONE SAY SWIFT WIND?" the flying horse said has he landed with a crash on the stage, forcing people to flee.

"And let's not forget our Villains," Double Trouble went on as Swift Wind was ushered off the stage. "Can't have proper drama without a good antagonist." Stiffly and without acknowledging each other's presence, Hordak and Shadow Weaver walked up on stage. They glared at the audience for a moment without bowing.

"Now when the fic is over, what's your thoughts?" Double Trouble asked.

"My part was mercifully short," Hordak grumbled.

"Exactly the flat melodrama one could expect from a story staring Catra," Shadow Weaver sniffed. "I am however deeply disappointed in Micah's daughter who wastes her potential on this kind of drivel."

"It's called romance," Glimmer leered, holding Catra and Adora tighter.

"I know what I said," Shadow Weaver said and left the stage with a harrumph.

"The author wishes to thank all of us for doing a great job," Bow said, entering the stage and reading from a letter. "With a special shot-out to Jack for being a really considerate Original Character (the author has been kinda shy about writing those before so thanks for easing them into it) and a special fuck-you to Catra for being emotionally complex and making the fic ten chapters longer than it would otherwise have been."

"Can't let that fucker have it too easy," Catra smirked, while Frosta and Glimmer high fived the flustered Jack.

"The author also wishes to thank the audience," Bow went on. "Every like, reblog, kudos, read, comment, piece of art, spotify-list, tv-trope entry, theory, 'damn you'... It has been an incredible journey, and your engagement has made it all worth it. Thank you so much."

"They are just fishing for more comments, aren't they?" Lonnie sighed.

"Never deny an artist their curtain call," Double Trouble smirked.

"There sadly won't be a sequel," Bow went on, reading from the letter, "but if it were, it would have been about taking down Horde Prime with cunning and teamwork, and the author doesn't feel up to another multiple chapter story of that magnitude."

"Go read 'Queen Glimmer - Supreme ruler of the universe' for that kind of story," Glimmer quickly piped in.

"Then what will be the author's next project?" Double Trouble asked.

"Well, obviously they need another big Glitra project," Catra immediately said. "I know they had an s1 story planned awhile back..."

"...or maybe some Glimmadora?" Adora blushed. "A sequel to Glimmer's hero?"

"Or perhaps another entry in the 'Baker and the Biker' series?" Bow hopefully said.

"All excellent options," Glimmer grinned. "And of course 'Glimmer dates everyone' is still woefully incomplete."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Catra said with an eyeroll. "The author has a type."

"So do you," Glimmer said with a sweet smile, causing Catra to turn away her face to hide a blush.

"And 'You even taste like Glitter' will keep update monthly," Bow explained. "Apparently something big is planned for two or three chapters from now."

"Will Catra finally pop the question?" Glimmer teased.

"Shut up, Sparkles," Catra muttered.

"I heard they are taking a stab at original fiction," Double Trouble helpfully said. "A short story about creepy princesses, and then something with mermaids?"

"What?" Glimmer said in indignation. "Why would they want to write about a dumb mermaid instead of me?"

"Because mermaids are, like, awesome," Mermista said with a little smug smile.

"Right you are, my oceanic blossom!" Sea Hawk rumbled and put his arms around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes and moved a bit closer to him.

"Yeah, whatever," Catra said with an eyeroll of her own. "We all know they'll write about a pink princess named 'Flimmer' in half a year or so anyway."

"That's trademark violation!" Glimmer gasped.

"Hate to break it to you, Glimmer," Bow said with a gentle smile, "but you are not the first pink princess in history."

"No, but I'm the best," Glimmer countered.

"You'll find the author's original fiction at Writer's Café and Royal Road, pen name Bagge," Double Trouble quickly interjected. "However, they promise that they won't give up on fanfic either. There will be more Glimmer stories to come."

"There'd better be," Glimmer sniffed.

"Anyway," Double Trouble said, while the cast took another deep bow. "Thank you everyone - cast and readers alike - for sharing this journey. Tons of fun were had, and there will be more where that came from. Keep making fandom great and have a grand ol' time."

They looked straight at the audience.

"And scene."

[fyeah-bangtan7]

BTS' Jin on 'Rock-Style Songs,' Life Off the Road, and Being Very Handsome

"When we couldn't go on tour, everybody felt really a sense of loss, a sense of powerlessness," Jin says

BTS’ main producer, Pdogg, is fond of pushing the group’s singers to the top of their range, and beyond. One of the most extreme, and impressive, examples is the howling series of beyond-falsetto notes Jin manages to reach on the track “Crystal Snow.” You’d never know it from that moment and many others, but Jin wasn’t a singer (or a dancer) at all when he first joined Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE) as a trainee; he was studying acting instead. In the third of Rolling Stone‘s breakout interviews with each of BTS’ seven members, Jin explained how he cultivated his formidable skills, looked back at some of his best musical moments, and more. He sat in his label’s headquarters for the conversation, in a blue button-front shirt with a wide collar and a black baseball cap from the Japanese brand Mastermind, a gift from Suga.(In celebration of BTS’ appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone, we’re publishing individual digital covers with each member of the band; check back throughout the next four days for more.)

I know you just woke up today. What was your day like yesterday? We went to shoot a variety show, a popular and famous show in Korea, and we haven’t done one of these in a while. I want to emphasize and make sure it’s pointed out for the record that everybody went berserk about how good-looking I was [laughs].

Even through the mask I can tell. So what have you learned about yourself in this year off the road? Especially when we were on tour, there wasn’t time to reflect on myself and figure out what gives me joy, what makes me relax. Being off the road for a year gave me a chance to really reflect on what I want and who I am, and sort of learn to love myself. I got a chance to sleep more, and that makes me a lot more satisfied. I tried exercising, and I realized that’s something that I like. And everyday things like playing games, watching movies, singing, those kinds of things.

At the same time, it feels like you felt the pain of not being on tour. Not just myself, but other members really felt that. When we couldn’t go on tour, everybody felt really a sense of loss, a sense of powerlessness, and we were all sad. And it actually took us a while to get over those feelings.

You wrote the song “Abyss” about some of those feelings, right? As the title suggests, I was feeling very down deep in the abyss when I was writing the lyrics. I was feeling very sad and down. But the process of actually singing the song and recording the song alleviated a lot of those emotions.

“Moon” is a great guitar-driven song. Is it true that you would like BTS to record more material that leans toward rock? I don’t think I’ll refuse any rock-style songs that come our way. It’d be good if we can do more of them, but they have to be feel appropriate and match the style of our team.

Since your background was in acting, you really had to learn to sing and dance from scratch as a trainee. What was that like? It was true then and it still is true now that it does take more effort for me to do the things that may come more naturally for the other members. I lack in many areas. For example, a lot of the other members will learn a dance once and they’ll be able to dance right away to the music. But I can’t do that, so I do try to work harder so I don’t hold the other members back or be a burden. So I would come to dance practice an hour early, or after the practice was over, I would stay behind another hour or so, and ask the teacher to go over the choreography one more time.

But you’ve become an amazing singer. What were some moments when you started to realize that you achieved some mastery of singing? I don’t think there really was a moment when I felt I had arrived as a singer. I haven’t mastered singing. But a singer has a duty and an obligation to bring joy to the audience. As we went on tour, I began to see the audience liking what I was doing. We were sharing the same emotions and what I was doing was resonating with them more and more. So whether it was my singing or my performance or whatever it might be, I began to realize that I am able to communicate with the audience.

Tell me about [HYBE founder] Mr. Bang. What is his particular genius? [Cheekily] A lot of it, I think, is luck. The realization of genius was his good fortune in meeting us. I don’t think he could have done it without us. I think in his good fortune lies his genius. … I think one thing that I can say about him is his ability to look into the future and read trends very early on. He’s able to see, “This is the kind of thing that we can be doing; this will be good for the future.” So I think that he’s very capable in that. Plus he’s very lucky.

You are, of course, the oldest member of the group. There’s a truism that people sort of freeze at the age they become famous, because that’s when ordinary life stops for them. So in your head, do you feel like someone who is almost 30, or do you feel younger? This is embarrassing for me to say because it’s sort of tooting our own horn, I guess. But at every moment where I felt that we were at the peak of our fame, after that we reached another peak, and another peak. And so as I continued to become older, and again, it’s kind of embarrassing to say this, we were able to hit more and more peaks. So I feel my age! I feel that I’m 29.

Would you like to try acting again at some point? Nothing’s carved in stone. I sort of like to go with the flow and do what I feel. Right now I really love music, so I think I’m obviously more oriented to doing music.

“Spring Day” is obviously a group effort, but I find your part on it particularly moving. What do you remember about recording that song? We wanted to create sort of a sweetly sentimental or melancholy feeling for that song. When we got the lyrics, we tried to set the theme and the tone for recording the music. I tried to recall a lot of my sweetly melancholy memories so that I could translate it into the overall feeling. For example, you’re thinking about a friend that you may have lost touch with, and drawing from that sadness.

How does all the complex vocal interplay on BTS’ songs come about — how do you all decide who sings what? So when a song is finished, we will all sing it. We will sing the entire song. And then we decide which lines really suit which person and their character. And we try to work that out.

And finally, in your trainee days, could you have ever imagined this level of success? I think at that time, I felt that if I could bring together an audience of 1,000 people, that’s what I wanted to do. That was my goal back in those days.

© source

[renjunfromthestars]

work too much

Pairing: Mark + reader, Established relationship, Med School/Doctor!Mark (I can’t stop thinking about this omg)

Genre: Fluff, angst if you squint, and it’s me so a little bit of crack LOL

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.4k 

Summary: It’s the middle of Pandemic; there’s been a lot of changes to your life, but Mark is one of the only things that have always been constant, and you’re thankful for that. But Mark in typical Mark fashion is stressed and tends to over work himself, so you always try your best to support him in your own way

Can be read as an extension to more than or as a stand alone

Notes: proof read? ofc not. but I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again...Mark is a little awk and always works so hard (poor bby), so imagining him as a super stressed pre-med major (now Doctor!!) still absolutely wrecks me thank you goodbye 

---

When the pandemic hit, it was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because online school definitely saved your grades (chegg also played a supporting role in this). And a curse because you and 7 million people suddenly found yourselves in a pandemic, and a pretty serious one at that.

When the news first came out about a small viral breakout in China, you didn’t think much of it. You were scared shitless when news of a recurring Ebola epidemic came to your attention, WebMd-ing every symptom and prevention technique so obsessively to the point that Mark had to confiscate your laptop for a second. 

“Objectively it’s a really serious viral disease, but your chances of getting it are astronomically low. A vaccine was already developed since the first serious breakout in 2014. Plus, most of the cases are in Africa, and it’s very contained-” Mark stops. “Are you even listening?”

“I am,” you protest. “But I’m still going to be scared no matter what you say.”

Mark sighs, sitting back down on the couch after gently placing your laptop on the coffee table. 

He ruffles your hair playfully, and your frown only gets deeper. “You silly, silly girl. Take my word for it, you’re fine.”

To be honest, you really should, but anxiety doesn’t discriminate, not even when you have a very knowledgeable boyfriend in medical school.

When you snuggle into his side and wail jokingly (or are you?) about being afraid of dying for the 4th time that week, you can almost see the defeat flash in Mark’s eyes. Yet, he doesn’t complain, and tells you things are going to be okay while wrapping his arms around you comfortingly. 

For Mark, you’re eternally thankful. 

When the pandemic hit, you didn’t really mind quarantining. You had the necessities: toilet paper, a Netflix subscription, and Mark, not necessarily in order of importance of course. The early months of the pandemic gave you a perfect time to recharge from all the grad school craziness. What really drove you insane were the lack of people taking social distancing and quarantine orders with a grain of salt. Mark scolds you when you say it’s just another form of natural selection, that you like to think that those kinds of people peaked in high school. 

Mark on the other hand, is having the opposite experience, Because of the severity of the virus, he graduated from Med school a whole two months early to join other health care workers in the fight against covid. Mark is a smart guy; he’s cautious and plans accordingly-but you’re not going to lie- Mark being in the hospital scares you.

Although he doesn’t like to talk about it, you can tell things are stressful for him from the way his shoulders droop when he thinks you aren’t looking. Dark circles around his normally twinkling eyes, and you’re not even exaggerating when you think you see a white hair or two. 

Mark doesn't like to talk about it and you understand, instead showing your support through your actions; you time dinner so that it’s ready right when he comes home, and are sure to give him time to recharge on his own. Mark also has trouble sleeping at night because of his work schedule, so you ordered a white noise machine in an attempt to soothe him. It works, but the poor boy still looks stressed in his sleep, with his eyebrows slightly furrowed and tense. You consider asking him to take some time off from the hospital, but Mark has a big heart and you believe in him. It’s a big part of why you and Mark get along so well, you think,--you have an uncanny ability to know what the other needs, even if they aren’t necessarily aware of it.

“Are you mad at me?”

You’ve just switched off the light. At 8:30, it’s a little early for most people to go to bed but you don’t mind it- you know he’s exhausted, and you don’t want to pressure him to stay up. If it were up to you, you’d be watching Netflix all night. 

When you turn to look at him in the moonlight, he looks so worried that you feel your heart tighten a little.

“Of course not,” you frown. “What makes you say that?”

Mark scratches the back of his head. “It’s just that you haven’t really been talking as much to me lately. Because of the extra shifts I’ve been taking at the hospital lately, I know I haven’t been spending as much time with you, and I feel bad about it, I really do, so I understand why you’d be mad-”

As he rambles on, you deadpan a little. He seems so tightly strung it’s almost comical. When he notices you sighing, he almost combusts. 

“I’m really, really sorry (y/n). I promise I’ll make it up to you at a later time. You’re so important to me, I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking you for granted-” He stops when you reach across the covers to cradle his face.

You lean in to kiss him, and he’s so confused that it takes him a moment to close his eyes. 

His lips are a little chapped, but you don’t mind, instead making a metal note to buy him a little watermelon lip smackers later, and yes-lip smackers because imagining professional Doctor Mark using lip smackers is hilarious to you.

When you pull away, you’re nose to nose, foreheads touching. You’re both silent for a moment, a quiet understanding passing between you two.

“I love you so much,” he whispers. 

A smile begins to spread across your face. You know you shouldn’t tease him, but you do anyway.

“I know you do.”

“Tell me you love me too,” he almost whines, and you can’t help but stifle a laugh. 

“Don’t laugh, this is a serious matter,” he grumbles, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You give in, pecking him on the lips once more.

“You silly, silly boy. Of course I love you too. You don’t even need to ask.”

Mark closes his eyes, and when he mumbles something about not knowing what he’d do without you, your heart nearly melts. 

You close your eyes too, and as you both slowly drift to sleep, you think about how life's going good despite it’s new changes—pandemic and all. You have Mark, and that is something that will never change.

Bonus

Mark scratches the back of his head, glances at you, the little neon green tube in his hand, and then back at you. All you do is just beam at him.

“And?”

“Of course I love it, but uh, isn’t it a little girly?” he says sheepishly. 

You pinch his ear playfully and he turns the slightest shade of pink.

 “Don’t disrespect the lip smackers, it comes highly recommended not to mention coveted among almost every teenage girl.”

“But I’m not a teenage girl,” he mumbles, and you spring into action, mustering the most disappointed face you can.

They should honestly give you a honorary degree in acting, because when Mark looks at you, he might as well act like you just told him your dog just died.

He uncaps the little stick and quickly applies it all over his lips, rather intensely. When he looks back up at you, he flashes you the most awkward smile and thumbs up you’ve ever seen in your life. With his lips unusually pink and waxy from the over application, he looks like a clown, so what other choice do you have, but laugh. 

Mark catches on pretty quickly, and kisses you in retaliation; he tastes like watermelon.

“You’re an evil, evil girl,” he murmurs, “But I love you anyway.”

“All jokes aside, you’re going to actually use it right?” (you used your own hard earned money to get this for  him, a whole two dollars and twenty five not including tax )

“Of course I will. I love everything you give me.” (You know this is a lie, he doesn’t like it when you give him a smack on his butt.)

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

Batman #146: okay so this story is finally actually picking up from where The Gotham War left off, with the same fault lines still in place. This is good actually! I am very soft that Damian's determined to keep believing in Bruce (especially as they're also spending quality time together over in Batman & Robin). Also I'm still enjoying Vandal Savage being annoying (sorry not sorry).

Birds of Prey #8: This comic is being written for queer women who like reading about women and I for one salute the entire team for their (fan)service. Excuse me. Several of those Barda panels and Dinah screaming for Barbara are going on my iconic list immediately.

Blue Beetle #8: Roma quits, Oo’li has a crush on Jaime, Jaime finally finds out Brenda is working for Victoria, and Victoria just gets even more on-page evil. I can't believe this is the last storyline we're getting before this gets cancelled, dammit.

Shazam! #10: I had to stop to howl with laughter about every third panel of this. Do yourself a favour. Read Shazam! Darla’s flying with Hoppy on a Pegasus. Freddy just got his licence and bought the Shaz-van! Also omg the lettering for the dragons!

DC’S Spring Breakout! #1: A mixed bag.

The Harley Quinn and King Shark story certainly happened (and I've read better versions of it).

The Batman and Mr Freeze story was quite predictable but sweet. Hit all the right notes in the space awarded to it.

MegFitz had a World's Finest Teen Titans story it felt, well, very MegFitz. She was writing characters in roles rather than writing the characters. On the upside Garth actually got to be the hero, so that made me happy.

The Metal Men story I honestly couldn't judge on characterisation but it was workmanlike. I was amused by the random Atlantean surfer.

The Katana story however was GOOD and delightfully creepy and just really fun Tatsu writing. Highlight of the issue for me.

The Lex Luthor story was incredibly funny in that Lex is there complaining about the damned aliens and how "The forces against us grow in number by the day" with a picture that includes Kon. I'm pretty sure you don't remember why that's hilariously ironic at this point, Lex, but Kon was very much your own fault here. (Lex also saying to Jason 'having trouble digging yourself out of the grave? Skill issue!)

J'onn story! J'onn getting screwed over again by Batman protocols! (This isn't nice, J'onn had one of the worst protocols of the lot, and all I can think is that this far, FAR milder route of attack is Bruce realising how far the other plan was over the line). But the dual shapeshifter fight scene was quite fun. This was probably my second favourite.

The Superman and Jimmy story was...fine. Why is Manchester Black alive and annoying people? This just felt mostly like lead in to current stories (whatever is happening with Zod and Absolute Power).

The Warlord #46: this week in the Lost World of Skartaris Travis is still hunting Jennifer’s trail when he and Shakira end up in a fight with a dinosaur.

Travis gets knocked around, but Shakira is so badly injured that…Death comes to claim her!

I have never been apart from you, my Champion. I have walked where you walked — drunk the lives you have spilled. I am ever at your side.

Travis then follows Death trying to convince her to return Shakira, into a cavern in hell.

I really like this art for Death?

In any case, Travis negotiates with her to get Shakira back and trades her 10 years of his life.

And Travis and Shakira return to Skartaris. Both alive.

Meanwhile Jennifer arrives at the mysterious tower of the ‘master’ of the hunchbacked man who has been leading her.

[shhh-no-ones-home]

kick back vinny mauro x reader

+++++++++

the song she sings are original lyrics by me, there will be a screenshot of the whole thing in the comments/reblogs if you would like to see it all. there is no sheet music, i am not a musician, but the lyrics are all my own and subject to copyright (/11/06/20/). thanks for understanding

Song: sorry haha I fell asleep by egg

tag list: @musicsexandpizza69 @thisplace-ishaunted @lifeisabitchandsoareyou @svintsandghosts @alilpunkrock @cynic-spirit @theoneandonlykymberlee +++++++++

I looked down at my phone as it rang for the eighth time today. It was Vinny. Again. Couldn't he take the hint? He thought he wanted me but I knew he didn't. How could he? Clearly he wouldn't let it go though. I rolled my eyes and went to put my phone back down when it dinged. He didn't call this time. It was actually a text.

"I know you're ignoring me but I'm gonna keep trying, i told you how i feel and thats not gonna change. Also a heads up, I'll see you on tour."

My eyes went wide before I immediately called our band manager.

"Just the person I wanted to talk to."

She said fairly chipper.

"Tell me we aren't."

I said sternly.

"What?"

She sounded confused.

"Tell me we aren't touring with motionless."

She laughed a little.

"Why would I tell you that? Of course you guys are. isnt it exciting?"

My mouth dropped.

"Why?!"

"Um, because it's good publicity? their manager called me yesterday and asked if you wanted to collab on something too so i hope youve been writing. but back to tour. They are doing a short spring tour, just a few weeks. i figured you were the best breakout band on my label."

She seemed very happy. I sighed into the receiver.

"Dawn their drummer has been calling and texting me for two weeks straight."

She paused.

"Okay?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"He has been trying to get me to go out with him for two weeks straight."

"Oh!"

She said.

"Then what's the problem?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Ya know what, actually there's no problem. this is a great opportunity for our career. When are we starting?"

"Great! I have to call the rest of the girls but you start February third."

I nodded.

"Okay. Two months away. I can put this off till then."

I said more to myself.

"Well dear I've got to go, I'll talk to you when the posters come out."

°°°°°°°°°

i sat on the ground outside the bus and strummed my guitar lightly. id been in contact with all the girls from our band and all the motionless guys for our new song together since i got the call from dawn two months ago but things werent coming out as good as wed hoped. so here i was still working on it, by myself. the thing is though the song was supposed to be out by the end of tour and yet here we all were, one week in and still nothing. i couldnt even focus on the task at hand. i had to much other shit running through my mind.

"that sounds pretty."

i heard from behind me and stiffened my body.

"thanks, ive been trying to find new chords for the song."

i said as vinny came into view.

"well i think it sounds great, when i read through the lyrics you had so far i wasnt really sure how heavy it would end up being but i kinda like that."

he said, moving to sit in front of me. i nodded.

"it will be heavier but my brain wont let me right now."

i said, dropping my hands to my lap. he nodded back.

"well what you have so far sounds beautiful anyways."

i stared at the ground, tapping my fingers lightly against the guitar.

"actually vin, this isnt for the collab. its actually for you and the only reason i cant finish the other song is because im lost."

he raised a brow.

"its for me?"

i sighed.

"i dont exactly know how to talk to you anymore so i figured a song would be easier but its really not."

i said through a nervous laugh.

"ive been meaning to talk to you about that actually."

i shook my head.

"you dont have-"

"no, i do."

he said, sending me a look.

"i shouldve taken the hint in December but i thought that if i persisted then maybe youd see how much i meant what i said. but i guess somewhere along the line i got annoying. hell i know, i did, i was annoying myself. then when you started texting me back, even though it was just about the new song, i was excited. it meant i could still talk to you even if it was just business."

"vin i-"

"please, just listen for a second."

i cleared my throat and nodded.

"okay, lay it on me."

he took a deep breath.

"i want you to know that i did mean what i said, i do really like you and i want to try something, a relationship, casual dates, hell even just hanging out. maybe you dont want more, and thats fine. but i still want you in my life and i want you to know that i do care about you. even if you have been ignoring me on purpose."

i frowned.

"vin i dont know how to do this."

i said, motioning between us.

"all my past relationships have crashed and burned and i dont know how to move on form that. i dont want to have to change who i am again."

he shook his head.

"you dont- you would never have to do that. i like you the way you are, and i want to prove that to you."

i sent him a look.

"no, you like who ive created for you. thats not me. im not carefree and easy going, and agreeable. im pig headed and strongly opinionated and i have a loud mouth."

i said with a laugh. he smiled back at me which i wasnt quite expecting.

"i dont care about all that. i care about you, whether you think youve created someone for me or not. give me stubborn. give me opinionated and loud. hell even give me furious at times. i know thats the real you and yet im still trying. cant you see that?"

i bit the inside of my cheek and thought for a second. then i looked down started strumming again lightly.

"im sorry for making things harder, i never meant to make it this far."

i began singing lightly.

"you dont deserve this mess of a person, i just keep making things hard."

i looked to him and he was staring at me intently.

"we've made it this far, i cant believe youre still around. i thank the heavens cause if not id be six feet down"

i closed my eyes, swaying back and forth as i played.

"Im sorry for making things harder, you dealt with this before. If i make it up to you somehow, we wont have to waste our time no more."

i said softly, over the guitar before stopping and looking at him.

"its not quite done yet."

i said a little shy. he sent me a small smile.

"i love you."

he said and my face went straight. i watched as he scooted his way closer to my side.

"ill always be here for you, no matter how we move forward."

i looked to my lap for a second before looking back to him. he was staring at me longingly.

"i think i love you too vin."

i said, barely above a whisper. he looked between my eyes before his hand moved to graze my cheek. i couldnt help moving into him. before i knew what was happening i was kissing him lightly, his hand going to the back of my head to hold me to him. when he pulled away he had a huge smile on his face.

"the song sounds great by the way."

i laughed a little at that, feeling a blush creep its way to my face as he pressed his forehead to mine.

"our little atypical love song."

[chaoshomeschooler]

1/29/21 - 3:40 AM

this is pretty long so here’s a read more

I’ve come to accept the fact that I simply do not operate in the daytime. The past several days I have ended up staying up until 4 saying “I’ll go to sleep soon” while getting nothing done. Then I sleep until some ungodly hour the next day - not like I’m in my bed sleeping until noon. No. I get up, go to work, then doze off at work between customers. Every time I fall asleep at work I get... scared? I hear these clicking sounds and I feel dread while I’m sleeping but I still just kind of sleep. It’s really not fun. But either way, I’ve been getting almost nothing done in the day because I sleep until really late (today I stayed home and I ended up being up for three hours then taking like a four hour nap) and then I get nothing done at night because I keep thinking I’ll go to sleep soon.

So today I’m just staying up all night, getting things done, and hopefully I’ll be so tired that I can get to sleep at a decent hour tomorrow, even if I end up dosing off all morning.

And guess what. It worked. I got an assignment done and I started on my next one. I’m still awake enough that I’m going to go work on a scholarship and a commission after this.

For me everything is about results and not method. Ideally I’d operate during regular hours but ya know - it may not be the right way but it’s the only thing that’s working for me right now.

Oh yeah and I’m actually using my desk for once in my life so I feel like a real student for once lol.

Stu-dna challenge days 27-29:

27. study in groups or study alone?

What’s a group?

JK umm when I used to be in co-ops (Classical Conversations or CC, for the initiated) and that one year I was at the career center I did have several group projects and breakouts in classes - I hated the group projects because either I was the only one who did any work (career center) or I was stuck with someone who hated me/the group was so big it was hard to get anything done (CC). So nah, in most cases I would rather study alone unless it’s with my one friend who actually cares about her grades like I do.

28. do you like the cold? what are your favourite winter activities?

I don’t necessarily like the cold but it’s better than the heat bc you can put on layers or use a space heater - in the heat there’s only so much you can do.

Uhhh my favorite winter activities would really just be anything Christmas related. Just hanging out at home and decorating or baking or making gifts for my friends or anything like that

29. do you have any hobbies?

I find it hard to define hobbies? Like I sew and crochet but that’s also my job. I learned embroidery over the summer and I also write but I don’t have time for either of those things any more.

I also play piano but it’s kind of a school subject due to the like intensity of my learning that (wow I can’t english rn). Cello is more of a hobby for me because I don’t take lessons anymore - but that’s another thing that I don’t have much time for.

spell-studies challenge:

3. Wed. Jan 27: what are you most excited for this semester/challenge?

This isn’t school related but it’s happening this semester - I’m going to go visit Belmont University and my Adult Friends aka my favorite band who all went there are gonna meet up with me there.

I guess describing them as my favorite band makes it sound really unrealistic - they’re a super tiny band and I met them when they were even way less famous - I started talking to them and one of them commissioned something from me etc etc now we talk on and off on social media and whenever they come to my area we hang out. Also they’re not that much older than me I think they’re like 7 or so years older.

4. Thur. Jan 28: Wanna post a work space pic?

I added the pic at the top of the post before I even saw this prompt lol :)

5. Fri. Jan 29: TGIF what’s today’s ~vibe~?

today’s (yesterday’s???) vibe is ✨disappointment✨ I slept way too much and got nothing done yaaayyyyy - so by the time my parents got home (they work like a million hours a day so I don’t get to see them much) I was still working so I couldn’t spend any time with them. I’ve been trying to spend more time with them bc I’m graduating this spring/summer (*barf*)

but the vibe going into the rest of today is ✨fuck you you better get some shit done and tire yourself out so you can go to sleep fuck you and your bad habits✨

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Exploring the Garnet Bamboo Peninsula

Garnet bamboo trees are cool to look at. They don't seem like much at first glance but when you look closely, you can see little buds poking out, like tiny gem shards. I guess that's how the bamboo got its name - the buds do look like a bunch of tiny garnets.

This place is chock full of them and according to Yasmine, it's the only known place where they grow. Aside from the unusual buds, it's like any other bamboo plant - but that doesn't make it any less special. The flowers however are used in teas and soups, so those are local specialties here. They add a subtle bittersweet flavor that goes well with many soups and stir fried veggies.

I've been here for a couple days exploring the peninsula with Nathan, Yasmine, Dello, and Donna. Originally it was just me, Nate, and Yasmine, then we ran into the Clanwings so our trio became a quintet!

Yasmine and Nathan are on break from grad school. I didn't even know Yasmine went to the same college until recently, having just enrolled in the spring semester. I remember that she was debating going back to school after leaving the entourage. She and Nathan aren't in any classes together but since it's a small school they sometimes run into each other at the commons so they kinda know each other.

I've never heard of the Garnet Bamboo Peninsula until Yasmine brought it up. She heard about the place through Jamie, who of course would know about it. Along with the bamboos, the place is known for its cafes and bike trails. Being an avid biker and motorcyclist, Yasmine was intrigued. So when she suggested traveling there to me and Nathan, we became intrigued too.

The peninsula really is a lovely place for sightseeing and hanging out at cafes. It's perfect for a chill vacation where you don't really want to do too much other than be in a different setting. Just seeing the garnet bamboos up close and trying the local cuisine is enough of a fun experience. If that's all we end up doing, then I'm more than satisfied.

While biking along the beach trail, we ran into Dello and Donna. Dello somehow got his bike stuck and Donna was having no luck helping him. So we pitched in and managed to get the bike out, but it was in pretty bad shape. Based on how the crash scene looked, it's lucky that Dello only had a few scrapes and bruises.

Then again, I'm pretty sure Dello - and Donna - are like physically immune or something because they can take a lot of damage and somehow not break any bones or get crushed. It's funny but also kinda weird and unsettling - even they're low key freaked out by it sometimes. I'm pretty sure their uncle had something to do with that - likely by accident as that tends to happen a lot with the Clanwings.

Anyway, we invited Dello and Donna to dinner after helping them with the bike problem. They were sent by their uncle for a business trip and were planning to leave soon. Then they decided to extend their stay because things are a bit chaotic at home and Louise suggested that they hang around for a bit. She didn't elaborate too much but she insisted that they postpone going home so we assume it has something to do with their dear old uncle getting into some sort of trouble.

So Donna and Dello are now on a short vacation, which Donna's looking forward to. Dello admitted that he could use a break, but he also feels kinda bad for leaving Louise alone with the kids. Louise says she and the boys surprised the kids with a camping trip so they won't be at the mansion either. So whatever their uncle has gotten himself into, he's on his own.

It's been fun exploring the peninsula, gathering flowers, visiting cafes, and enjoying the view. We also took turns riding with Yasmine on her motorcycle, which was kinda scary at first but a lot of fun!

Yasmine's got an impressive collection of motorcycles as well as a vast knowledge on them. She occasionally works as a stunt rider, which was how Jamie met her. She's one of those people who gives off the impression of being a cool badass type and not only she is, but she's fun to hang out with too!

Before that, Yasmine was an actress best known on the Teen Scene sitcom Popular Besties. The show, I'll admit, was not that good, but I enjoyed it as a kid. The episodes tend to be a hit or miss and the first two seasons were all right but by the third and final season it was tedious. It was pretty obvious that Yasmine and her co-star were tired of the show so it wasn't a surprise when they later revealed that they quit, which was why season four was scrapped at the last minute.

Since getting to know Yasmine, I can't help but think of how her talents were wasted on Popular Besties. A lot of actors who debuted on Teen Scene have mixed feelings regarding their breakout roles and have since then moved on to better things. Yasmine still acts occasionally, though she's slowly phasing away from the entertainment industry. She says she's still not quite sure what direction she wants to go in but grad school's a start as well as continuing to pursue motorcycle racing.

Nathan has got a look at Yasmine's motorcycle collection and as expected, he was impressed. We don't know too much about those kinds of things but we know an impressive collection when we see one. I'm glad that they're getting along well - Yasmine's the type who easily becomes friends with everyone, even with people you'd think she wouldn't have much in common with. It's not that she and Nate are opposites but they come from completely different circles so it's unlikely that their paths would ever cross.

Things in Astra are pretty much the same for Nathan, and that's the way he and his family like it. He did mention that he visited Evan's grave for the first time in months, a kinda spur of the moment thing he didn't expect to do. He said he was reading a case study for a class that stirred up some memories so he had to step back when it became too much. Then he found himself at the cemetery and that kinda helped, or at least it grounded him. He told his therapist about it and she said some things that has left him thinking about the past.

I hope that one day he'll finally find peace with that. Nathan's come a long way since we first met and while what happened to his brother still hangs over him, at least he no longer beats himself up over it. That's why he wants to help people, to prevent tragedies like Evan, to save those going through a downward spiral no matter how far gone or beyond saving they think they are.

Dello and Donna have been up to the usual as well, shenanigans and all. Easton's hanging out with Rolly a lot so now they're best friends. Edie's happy about that as she mentioned that before Rolly, Easton didn't have too many close friends his age, probably because he's used to being around those older than him. Stork pops in often as usual and it's never a dull moment when he's around. We got to video chat with Louise and the kids, which was nice. They're all having a great time out on the road, sightseeing like we are.

Philly asked Nathan and Yasmine about Astra as he wants to go to grad school and is always looking far ahead in the future. Tally, as expected, asked about the garnet buds in hopes of using Tally Inc. to make a profit. Dello promised Rosie to bring home some sweet treats, particularly the pink moonberry daifuku a local cafe is famous for. Molly and her friends popped in for a bit just to say hi as well so it was nice to catch up with everyone.

The Clanwings are what most would consider an eccentric family. In a way, they kinda remind me of the McManns, except a lot bigger. Apparently they're kinda distantly related so I guess that explains the similarities. Both heads of the families are rich old men who happen to have a late younger sister, both who have twins who are left to keep an eye on their uncles. The uncles tend to get in trouble during their adventures so a lot of people end up mixing the families up.

Strangely though, even though I know Rocky, Chrissie, Dello, and Donna and they all know each other, I've never hung out with all four of them at once. Like I've known them for years and they live in Cityburg so you'd think at some point I'd meet up with Chrissie and Donna or Dello and Rocky on separate occasions but it hasn't happened yet. I mean it will (should) happen one day but I just find it funny that it hasn't.

Speaking of Rocky and Chrissie, we talked about them a bit. Dello said he dropped by to see Rocky and Lex before coming here. We joke that Rocky and Lex should tie the knot before baby #3 comes along, especially now that they're engaged but with no wedding date set yet. They've been pretty much following Dello and Louise with the whole having two kids before getting married. Though from the looks of it, I don't think Rocky and Lex plan on adding another family member anytime soon, if ever.

I don't know how Dello and Louise did it, having four kids roughly a year apart. Rosie and Lessi are 14 months apart, both were pre-marriage, Lessi and Cissy are about a year and a half apart being the widest age gap, then Cissy and Rolly, aka the planned post marriage ones, at 10 months because Rolly came early. So basically Louise was on and off pregnant for 4-5 years, which is insane.

As for Donna, she had the boys and that was it. Before that, it was apparently rumored that the Clanwings were at risk of dying out since Dello and Donna were the only heirs left as for some reason the family members are against marriage, or at least have no interest in it. At this point Dello's the only living Clanwing who's married, but even he and Louise were on the fence about marriage for a while.

So we met up at this place called the Pink Daifuku and enjoyed a bunch of sweet treats. The peach mochi cakes are my favorite as well as the green garnet rose tea. We also shared a bottle of sweet white wine infused with garnet bamboos, which add an interesting flavor. I think this is the sweetest wine I've ever tasted - it's good but a bit too overpowering, something that would probably be paired better with a meal instead of desserts or alone.

Tomorrow we're gonna visit the Diamond Winery to try some more garnet wines and see how they're made. The winery's on one of the top places to visit in the Garnet Bamboo Peninsula because it has a gorgeous view of the cliffs and it's the only place where garnet wines are made. Dello and Donna are into that kind of stuff so of course they'd want to check it out. Yasmine said she always wanted to try the garnet champagne while Nathan and I are looking forward to taking a bunch of nice pics as well as the free wine samples.

After the cafe we rented some bikes and explored the Waybright Plains trail. There, we looked at the ruins and collected some garnet bamboo. Something about Waybright feels eerie, then again that's how most abandoned places feel like. Exploring ruins up close and personal is always an interesting experience.

We tried to solve something that looked like a puzzle involving the torches but couldn't figure it out. I think we were close though as we managed to light all but one of the torches up. Well, I was never really good at puzzles anyway, and maybe it's probably for the best that we didn't activate what was in there. I mean, I doubt it's like a trap or something, but it is kinda weird that a device like that still works and is just left out in the open. Dello was right to be a bit iffy about it, especially from personal experience.

Yeah, as tempting as it can be, I think we're better off leaving those alone. I don't want to be responsible for causing a catastrophe by messing around with something I shouldn't have.

Time flies quickly when you're wandering the corridors of old ruins. It's easy to get lost in a place like this - I'm surprised that we managed to stay together the whole time. And not only that, but we also managed not to set off any traps or have any accidents along the way so another win. Then again, these ruins are open to the public so that obviously wouldn't be a problem or else we wouldn't have been able to just freely walk in.

For the trip back, we took the scenic route. The trails are super well lit so there's no worries about it getting too dark - and we were out pretty late. Riding around the peninsula at night has a different vibe than in the daytime. I think it's the glow of the lanterns that add to this sorta dreamy, disconnected vibe that makes it so chill. Plus the trails aren't as busy at this time of night so it's just us and the garnet bamboo. If it weren't for the mosquitos, I'd go on nighttime hikes more often.

[that-wimpy-cowboy-doll]

For the prompt meme, 18, 2, 9? (Shieldshock bc I know you love it❤️❤️❤️)

I have, in fact, accidentally fallen completely in love with Shieldshock, and I have no regrets ;)

Shieldshock + Celebrity!AU + Enemies to Lovers + “Why are you awake so late?”

Darcy rolled onto her side to glare at the cheap motel alarm clock, which currently read 3:22 in the morning.  It ate at her just to think that Steve Fucking Rogers was keeping her up at night.

Well, not necessarily just Steve Rogers.  There was plenty to annoy her at 3:22 a.m., not the least of which included filming in the middle of Buttfuck, Nowhere (also known as Somewhere North of Durango, Colorado, according to Ava, the director); the shoots and reshoots of the stupid rock-climbing scene that had taken damn near all the daytime; Ava’s picky-ass cinematographers barking contradicting directions at her; as well as, yes, the dreaded kissing scene that she was supposed to have completed with Steve Fucking Rogers by now, that for some reason, Ava just didn’t think looked natural enough.

For the record, no kiss she shared with Steve Rogers was going to look natural, because he obviously didn’t think much of her.  He’d made that much very obvious on his first day on set.

“You cast her for Nora?”

“Is that a problem, Rogers?” Ava had asked, her accent bordering on hostile.  “She had the best audition, she’s not in this to fawn over you and your preposterous muscles, and she works damn hard.  If you don’t trust my judgment, Steve, I’ll find another Simon.”

Darcy didn’t know whether either of them knew she’d been listening, but she didn’t stop to wonder.  Just like she didn’t bother to ask him why the hell he had such a problem with her.  She’d seen him at premieres, waved politely whenever she saw him in public, but she wasn’t going to bend down to kiss the ground he walked on just because he had a stupid Oscar and one of her most prized possessions was her surfboard from the Teen Choice Awards.

(For the record, she regretted nothing about her teen TV show career.  She’d met some of her best friends on the set of Letty Waters, and the breakout role had taught her so much about acting and show business.  Without Letty Waters, it was likely she’d still be doing ravioli commercials and soap opera extra work to this day.)

Instead of lying in bed and forcing herself to count sheep, she slipped out of the covers and into a hoodie and sandals, tucked her room key into her shorts pocket, and shouldered the door open so she could dip her legs in the germ-infested hot tub in the courtyard.

The cold mountain air mixed with the hot water on her feet was strangely soothing, and because there was so little traffic in this area, she could listen to the bubbling of the water and the wind around her at peace.

And then, the thin squishing of a rubber doorstop, followed by light footsteps in her direction.

“What do you want?” she huffed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, covering her face with her sleeves.

“Why are you awake so late?”

Steve’s tone was arrogant, teasing, but he slid out of his sandals and plopped onto his perfect ass a few feet away from her, his smooth features somehow still handsome without makeup in the dim pool lights.  She refused to notice.

“Might as well ask you the same thing.”

“Somethin’ to do with today bein’ pretty shitty, huh?”

Was he really trying to seem sympathetic right now?  After all the times he’d looked down his nose at her, the lowly television star?

“It was shitty.  No thanks to you.”

“Me?”  She refused to notice the lift of his eyebrows.  He could very well be acting right now - after all, he was the Oscar winner.  “The hell did I do to make it shitty?”

“I don’t know, maybe kiss better?  Or just pretend that you like me enough to want to kiss me when we’re on the set?  You’re supposed to be this big, important actor, you should be able to make even me look okay on camera next to you.”

He fell silent, something that Darcy hadn’t realized he was able to do.

“Look, I know I’m not cut from the same ‘indie film, Oscar-winning, work out until my muscles bulge in every outfit’ fabric as you are.”  She tried to keep her voice low, crossing her legs in the water with a soft splash.  “But I think I’m a pretty decent actress, and I have worked really fucking hard on this role.  Nora means a lot to me.  So if you could just act like I’m fit to be in the same shot as you, I’d really fucking appreciate it.”

Steve watched her, frowning, both of those raised eyebrows stalling down low over his eyes.  If she hadn’t been refusing to notice him, she’d spot the subtle clench of his jaw that all the teenyboppers seemed to swoon to these days.  Not that it was really worth swooning over.

“You surprise the hell out of me, Lewis.  ‘Cause I figured out you were a better actor than me the second I saw you as Nora.”

“Do not patronize me, Rogers.”

“Darcy.”  He rested a cautious hand between them, leaning on it to look more intently at her.  He was close now, enough that she could see the flecks of blond in his eyelashes, the chapped cracks in his pillowy pink lips.  Part of her wondered whether he was going to kiss her now, and pass it off with some stupid excuse about practicing to finish their scene tomorrow.  Wait - would that have meant that he wanted to kiss her?  Or that she wanted him to want to kiss her?  “At this point, I’m mostly afraid of you upstagin’ me.  You’re a damn good actor.  And a...hell of a person, to boot.”

“Good.”  She found the gumption to smirk at him, lifting her legs out of the water and getting them beneath her.  “Because Nora’s supposed to be the lead role anyway.”

He might have called after her, but there was something to his words that brought a delightfully antagonistic spring to her step and sway to her hips.  She didn’t need to know that he thought she was a good actor - but it was nice to hear him finally fucking acknowledge it.

She slept like a baby after leaving the hot tub.

And it was probably worth mentioning that they finished their first kissing scene on the first take the following day.

It didn’t stop them from practicing the kiss when they got back to the motel, though.

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss on his marriage and new role in ‘American Buffalo’

When Darren Criss settles into our Alexa interview at a chic cafe in West LA, he’s friendly and direct.

“I am an outspoken person in real life, but in the media, I find I’m very reserved,” he observes. “I’m asked questions about myself that I haven’t really had to think about. That is a really strange occupational hazard. It would be like if you asked your dental hygienist, ‘Do you think your career choice stems from your interest in cleanliness as a kid?'”

Reading between the lines: The actor-producer-songwriter du jour resists the sound bite.

Criss, 33, may be the consummate showman, but in person — apart from a hint of chipped black nail polish and a pair of gold-rimmed aviators that nod to his love of costume — he seems more cerebral theater nerd (a flag he flies proudly) than flamboyant hunk.

Before long, Criss is expounding on big themes in a delightfully thespy manner. Conversations branch off, reverse direction, then run off on entirely new paths.

“I like keeping myself in balance by taking constant left and right turns,” he explains of his career. “The party trick? You think I’m doing all this stuff spontaneously, but it’s not without a significant attention to detail and planning. I don’t freak out if it doesn’t go as planned, but whatever it is, I will optimize it. Drop me off anywhere, and I will make [it] as awesome as possible.”

For a significant and impassioned fan base, Criss is the guy who sang, danced and heartthrobbed his way through a starring role on “Glee.” He’d go on to become an unsettlingly cheerful killer in 2018’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” a nuanced performance that won him an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

In 2020, things are getting even more extra.

The day of our interview, he was flying to NYC to begin rehearsals for David Mamet’s “American Buffalo,” now set to begin previews April 14 at Circle in the Square Theatre (a delay after Broadway shuttered over the coronavirus pandemic). He will play Bobby — one of a trio of hustlers trying to make it rich — alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell.

“I try to do a show in New York every two to three years,” says Criss (who’s previously starred in “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”). “It will be great to be in New York doing one of the great American plays with a great American playwright.”

He’s also experimenting with new formats, namely executive-producing, writing songs for and starring in the new satiric series “Royalties,” which will debut on the short-form video streaming platform Quibi this spring.

In May, he’ll channel the golden age of cinema in “Hollywood,” the hotly anticipated Ryan Murphy-helmed Netflix series, which Criss also executive-produced. (Not to mention his work for Elsie Fest, a musical-theater festival he co-founded five years ago.)

If your head is spinning, that’s all part of the plan.

“I love giving strangers an excuse to connect,” he says. “I just enjoy quirky things and quirky people. And that comes from the idea of challenging people’s expectations. At the end of the day, that’s my biggest driving force — that you can do something weird and have it be cool.”

Born in San Francisco, Criss knew early on that he wanted to follow an original path. He taught himself piano, studied violin and, at the age of 10, made his professional theater debut.

“Had my parents wanted me to be an actor, I wouldn’t have done it,” he reflects. “But I realized I had a knack for it. I’m literally a parrot: I like mimicry, music, accents.”

His hobby, he insists, is practicing his Japanese. A dream vacation, he says, would be a sojourn at Middlebury College’s language immersion program. “It’s where they send the CIA to learn Farsi. I would love it!”

While a student at the University of Michigan, Criss gained fame with his contribution to the YouTube cult hit “A Very Potter Musical”, which led to the co-founding of the musical-comedy sensation StarKid.

“At the time, studio execs didn’t understand the power of social media. In my early 20s, I was this Internet force with my friends, but going to play piano at [a bar] twice a week. I was living a double life, with Billboard-charting albums, and yet, how could you explain this to a casting director? They were like, ‘You make Internet videos?’ It was absurd to them. Nobody [at the time] knew how to monetize that.”

During his mainstream breakout as the chiseled Blaine Anderson — who famously covered “Teenage Dream” on “Glee” — Criss earned what he describes as a “master’s in putting music and the camera together,” an experience that has served him well in both “Hollywood” and his genre-defying Quibi show, where he’ll play a songwriter aside big-name musician guest stars.

While Criss has played several high-profile gay characters in his career, he says he’ll no longer accept such parts, telling Bustle in late 2018: “I want to make sure I won’t be another straight boy taking a gay man’s role.”

In February 2019 he married his girlfriend — writer-producer-musician Mia Swier — in New Orleans. The experience can only be described as an immersive extravaganza.

Their first “dance” was a rendition of “The Ballroom Blitz” by British rock brand Sweet, with Criss on guitar and Mia on bass. They were later serenaded by friends Lea Michele and John Stamos.

There were umpteen costume changes (during the evening’s silent disco, a Vera Wang gown and Armani suit were traded for matching sequin T-shirts). Although Vogue covered the festivities, Criss says much remains under wraps.

“I want to show people all the things that really go on [in my life], but I’m also quiet about it,” he reflects. “The wedding is a good example. I remember thinking,’I wish everybody in the world could see this, it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever pulled off.’ When I put myself into something, I give it everything I’ve got. That was a big representation of who I am and who my wife is and what we do.

It’s non-conventional, out-of-the-box thinking and that also led Criss and his wife to open the Hollywood piano bar Tramp Stamp Granny’s, in 2018. Mia (whose family founded The Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom in NYC) takes the lead on the project, although Criss says he still occasionally tickles the ivories there, a throwback to his leaner years working piano bars.

If you ask nicely, he may even sing. Crew Credits: Fashion Editor: Serena French; Stylist: Anahita Moussavian; Fashion Assistants: Nicole Zane and Haley Wells; Grooming: Jessica Ortiz at Forward Artists using Shiseido; Tailoring: Amber Doyle

Photographed at Dear Irving, 55 Irving Place