#Also huzzah it’s my birthday today!

[clownsuu]

Can you draw craig and octavio beatinf the shit out of each other (or kissing)

The Grandpas are true lovers to enemies to lovers (to enemies to lovers to-)

Also it’s basically the same thing smhhhhhh

[twiixr4kidz]

today was my 18th birthday :33 HUZZAH!!!!

special surprise coming tomorrow :33 also im on break from school so im gonna try to finish as many asks as i can!!!

[allamericanb-tch]

crimson rivers thoughts (19)

@tastetherainbow290 this was CRAZY and very long i read A LOT

chapter 51

"I love him so much. It tears me apart that I can't make him see just how special he is." i need a james

james and remus being friends

“The Hallows would sooner believe Sirius fell in love with the actual moon before they believed he fell in love with a servant” 😭😭

these fools need to hug each other

they told each other their birthdays! look at them opening up to each other

sirius is so cute just talking to the moon

lily mention 

regulus being mad bc he fell asleep on sirius 😭

“Sirius will sleep when he's dead, and hey, that'll probably arrive for him sooner rather than later. Silver lining? Bad joke.” YEAH IT WAS A BAD JOKE

day three! they’re going to escape today right? i hope 

sibling moment

more weird creatures?!

AUGUSTA NO

SHE LIVES!!! huzzah alice

yes emmeline 

“"You know," Sirius muses, "if James were here, he'd be beat-boxing right now."” sirius’ name is so ironic bc that man is NEVER serious 😭

regulus calling james his fiancé ❤️‍🩹

sirius 😭

“I am going to be sexy until the day I die” yes you are sirius

“Did he know he was engaged prior to Regulus announcing it when he sent the bagel? No. Is he going to protest it? Also no.” james is the realest ever

WHAT ARE THEY DOING

i’m gonna cry omg

i know regulus makes it but why would they torment him like this. 

evan 💔

YES

i am jumping with joy rn

chapter 52

boggarts?!

oh no so many warnings for this chapter

dorcas!

lucius?! 

the boggart 😧

oh!

they’re making into a competition of course they are

"You remind me of my Alphard. He cared so much it killed him." 💔

biological warfare 😧

VANITY 💔

sirius lost regulus AGAIN?!

oh!

narcissa?!

vanity 💔

JAMES?!

oh it’s a boggart

poor reg he just can’t catch a break

this is so sad omg i am actually going to cry

marlene!!!!! huzzah!!!

cannibalism as a metaphor for love 

“she could have put it though his chest. he wishes she did.” 💔

fiancé 🤭

oh no

AUGUSTA 💔

i’m crying omg

i love alice

this is so sad

poor frank omg 💔

oh no bellatrix has found sirius

no he’s dissociating 

i know sirius is alive but OMG

bellatrix doing what she does in order of the phoenix when she kills sirius ah stop it don’t do this to me

rip bellatrix black you will not be missed 🙏 

HE LIVES!!!!!

“bellatrix died with tears on her cheeks” WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT

alice ☹️

poor frank omg 

“we’re starting a war” AHHHH i love you dorcas

chapter 53

narcissa ☹️

james finding out about his district ☹️

oh i forgot about mary i hope she is safe

i forgot dorcas didn’t know about remus

oh!

i really hope remus didnt leave omg

effie!!!!

lily what

“Euphemia passes her thumb over the letter in her pocket and really, really hopes that Remus is included in that.” we are all hoping

mary! she is safe

the great hall 😯

enemies to lovers marylily endgame?!

sybill 😭

i still am confused on so bingley is

kingsley and sybill love

barty and amos 😭😭

“i don’t even like men” “you do not darling” i love barty

sybill is HILARIOUS how did she not know she was in a relationship with someone

sybill telling everyone about their Secret mission

barty too?! okay everyone’s just getting in on this i guess

barty seducing amos into letting them go on the mission he is So Funny i love him so much 

thunderbird thieves ATE

oh no james what happened

REMUS LEFT NO

poor pandora ☹️ she has to leave her dying father behind that is so sad

uh oh 😧

james saving the day as always

revolution!

lily: “we have this under control.” meanwhile everyone in the background screaming that they’re all going to die 😭

the ring is a tracker!

dorcas being a prepared queen 

“"You're crazy," Rodolphus states. "I like crazy." "I like women," Dorcas replies. "Only."” icon behavior i love dorcas so much

rodolphus being a respectful king

mission mission mission

oh no the password

POPPY!

marlene what are you doing

oh no no no no

they got regulus thank god but they can’t leave sirius behind

oh no oh no oh no

why would you end the chapter like this

guys my heart is beating so fast rn i’m not even joking and i have to end here bc i have to go back to school ahhhh 

chapter 54

oh no everything is going wrong

dorcas literally Killing It

“At one point, James runs out of bullets, looks at his gun, then just throws it at the Auror in front of him” 😭

remus kill count: 2

eek

james and his bleeding heart

FRANK NO

dorcas telling james about sirius why is this chapter so sad

james what are you doing

oh. remus doesn’t know about sirius

barty 😭

marlene 😧

MARLENE!!!!!

ugh snape

voldy 😧

sirius in azkaban that is FOUL

chapter 55

kingsley 💔

poor andromeda ☹️

effie ❤️‍🩹

i’m gonna cry ahhhh

LILY

oh no

poor remus omg 💔

“revived six years later just to disintegrate before her very eyes.” oh

lowkey forgot about aberforth

boooo dumbledore 🍅🍅🍅

chapter 56

sirius being chronically bored

sirius calling voldy a dead fish 😭

sirius is a certified yapper

sirius just. swallowing voldy’s blood 😭

WHO IS BINGLEY

OHHH HES MARY’S BROTHER

marylily? marylily. 

remus and lily friendship ❤️‍🩹

lily being in love with mary <3

effie ❤️‍🩹

marlene ☹️

barty and rodolphus? okay

opulent another vocab word

JAMES

chapter 57

of course it didn’t pick up with james’ pov. 

pandora being an oblivious queen 😭

dorcas being lily’s The One That Got Away ☹️

lily 😭

lily ☹️

mary next ahhhh

kiss kiss kiss

afhhhhh i need jegulus happenings its been too long

this is so sad ☹️☹️☹️

“aturally, Regulus freezes like a startled hare under the gaze of a watchful wolf.” get it bc remus is a werewolf

nooo don’t fight

yay they’re friends again 

"Dumbledore of the Albus variety” 😭

JAMES?!

james….

“and he's so nervous and full of anxious anticipation that he's struck with the impulse to beat-box.” JAMES 😭😭😭

sirius 😧

“you’re hot” then sirius 😭😭

"Are you, like, allergic to prison?" 

prongsfoot is prongsfooting

☹️

chapter 58

ALBUS AND ARIANA WERE IN THE SAME HUNGER GAMES?!

ALBUS VOLUNTEERED FOR ABERFORTH?!

side note — i love that their names are albus and aberforth and then theres just 💫ariana💫

regulus is learning all the lore

so grindelwald killed ariana? and that’s why albus killed him?

albus dumbledore, always pacing in his office. 

regulus is so regulus

"If I can't persuade the leader in you, then let me persuade the man who knows what it is to be in love, let me persuade the brother you are. I love James, and Sirius is my brother. Please."

"We have a deal."  HUZZAH!

dora you are a little icon 

sprout! 

trojan horse 😧

ahhhh wolfstar and jegulus happenings will be happening soon 

marleneee don’t be mean to the love of your life

this is sad

i’m giving you an all tomato. which means you give me the whole tomato, or else.

they’re swapping…. please don’t die marlene

the way mary and sirius are always together briefly in every fanfic 

MARYLILY KISS!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!! a cheek kiss but a kiss nonetheless 

barty 😭😭

oh regulus

effie 😭 god i love her

barty is so barty 

DID HE JUST BREAK SOME RANDO’S ARM 😭 REGULUS WHAT THE HECK MAN valid honestly. defend your man’s honor.

“needless to say regulus ends up in solitary” yeah we all saw that coming

aberforth! he’s really starting to grow on me

regulus is so regulus

pomona having an Extensive Wine Collection is so real

why does marlene have it out for lily (i mean i know why but they need to Be Friends)

oh are they Being Friends now?

yes they are and i love them ❤️‍🩹

chapter 59

ugh snape

why is this literally the red scare

OH WAIT is severus dumbledore’s ‘source’

“Potter is a fool, no doubt about it, but he isn't the biggest fool in this room. No, that honor goes to Riddle.” bars

did anyone else stop breathing when they read the suffocation part

"Now, I present you with my own to do something that's very on brand for James and I, which is me arguing with literally everything he just said."

“Oh, yeah, Sirius remembers what he did. He got sexy.” 😭😭 sirius 

“My pasta is calling my name, you have no idea." ME FR

of course remus is volunteering to go get sirius

😧

sirius you did not just say “welp” 😭😭😭

i miss evan 💔

oh!

i hate that remus knows exactly where sirius is but also yay for the mission?

sirius nooo

eeeeee they’re kissing but can they Get Out Of There

"He never got to eat his pasta." 😭

dead body chute 💀

ok severus

ok i have to read another chapter…

chapter 60

james 😧

dorcas is So In Love and i lover i love dorlene

pomona 💔

i hope this has a happy ending 

"The world doesn't revolve around me, Dorcas." "Mine does." I LOVE DORLENE

bingley!

i love bingley and lily being friends

MARYLILY!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!! ITS HAPPENING!!!!!!

oh?

“hope can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.” dumbledore core

they’re immune ?!

DID SIRIUS GET IMMUNITY FROM INGESTING VOLDYS BLOOD 😭

regulus climbed the tree?! i am proud of him ❤️‍🩹

i’m crying

“he needs his glasses”

effie ☹️

“Before Regulus ever found the sun in James, Sirius was the brightest light he knew; his guiding star.” ❤️‍🩹

crying still

chapter 61

james pov!

he’s high 😭

“no! my skin” 😭😭

“what did the big flower say to the little flower? hey there bud” james im in love with you

“I love you because you're you. And you—you're my friend, Remus.” ❤️‍🩹

"We're alone, love." ahhhhhhh jegulus is So Back

baby

molly got glasses for james omg 

fab and gid 💔

eeee they’re kissing 

"I love you, James. I loved you from the start, I love you now, and I'll love you for as long as love is something that exists—and, if it ever stops existing, I'll reinvent it just for you."

🎶confess i loved you from the start🎶

remu and sirius

sirius you can’t just tell remus you think you should break up ?!

no don’t break up ?!

remus 😧

huzzah!

they’re kissing again

should i end here while it’s happy(ish)? i think i will i read so much today

[cruciferous-spatula]

This evening at the pond dwelling, the plague is at the door

Or you could say it's Wahi, route failing on the porch and coughing the house full of plague as revenge. Idja is also suffering, but he's already been out of it for a while by now

The children are early risers. Idja's feeling a lot better this morning, though he still looks tired

Ausarta takes the children out for a hike, and returns to see her little doggy entering elderhood

Is Sarta commenting on her wife's looks or what

Meanwhile half the Tuarua family is just hanging out up on the path

Doaivu feels like playing fairy godmother today and magics up a whole lotta fitness points for Aroha, fulfilling a wish

And that evening, Idja is birthdaying

Huzzah! Didn't get makeover pics of him because I'm the worst, BUT check him out on his next day trip to the beach

Dang it!

But hey, check him out checking out Sanma Keji. Instant triple bolts! Well in my book that's a ship now

Their convo animations are funny. They're clearly getting on really well!

Meanwhile

Dang it! Sorry Ulli

there are so many more pics of this day at the beach but they'll have to wait

till morrow!

[theschizotypalsolilquy]

it’s clearly and ex jikooker questioning you on jk’s sexuality and tbh they need to either stop caring about jikook as a couple and/or jk or the very least stfu.

Exactly.

Whomever they are, are clearly more concerned about sexuality than I am.

I'm here for their LOVE. The ROMANCE.

The "I'm waking up extra early to go get my man a chunk of snow cuz I know how much he likes it" grand gesture.

The "lemme cook him the biggest pancake because he has to do penalties today and he needs his energy" partner love.

Also, the "hahaha they gonna think this is a thirst trap for Army, but nope...it's for my birthday good boy Jimin".

I'm in love with their love. Their obvious affection for one another, how they know EVERYTHING about each other. How JK takes care of Jimin, even though he's younger.

Their love is pure and made of the universe. Not only do they have tattoos that mirror each other, they've got at least THREE MOLES that match, have the same IQ, and apparently finger strength.

You can't make this shit up. These two were designed and destined for one another. You won't break them.

And if I wanna think about their sexuality, that's what a03 is for. HUZZAH

[thedaveandkimmershow]

This is one of my favorite photographs of her. I took it with a 35mm SLR on the ferry from Keystone on Whidbey Island to Port Townsend sometime during our days of dating. 

Photography was how we explored the world together back in the day, with large bulky cameras if you can believe that. Especially on important dates like birthdays.

Looking back on that moment, two things pop.

The first is that she grabbed a life ring off the rail on the upper deck of the Klikitat and slung it around herself for a photo. Which, seems to me, has got to be against the rules of the Washington State ferry system. 

So that was pretty cool. 😄

The other thing that pops is, ultimately, how on the nose is this photograph. So on the nose as to be iconic.

My lifesaver, you know?

There are, of course, plenty of great Kimmer photographs out there. After decades of photographs, how couldn't there be? But this one means the most. This is the one infused with the most significance. It's a photograph of not only what she looks like...

But who she is.

To this day. Who she is.

To me.

A lifesaver.

My lifesaver.

So here we are again celebrating her birthday. Basically, after we hit 21 we stopped counting seriously. Sure, we acknowledged 30 on the fly and, maybe, 40. But each day, each birthday isn't a measure of something we're living toward as if there's something more for which to be carded once you hit some adultier adult age. No.

Each birthday is another moment in which to be profoundly thankful. That she's here. That she's in this world. That she's in my life, part of my life, helping me shape my life, color it, define it.

My life would literally not be the same without her. It wouldn't.

I wouldn't be the same without her for sure.

Each birthday, then, is a moment to revel in this lotto I've somehow won. This woman who's given me life, love, laughter, adventure, and so so so much more.

A lifetime's worth more.

So yeah it's her birthday today. HUZZAH!

It's also another me being thankful day.

☺️

[gunkbaby]

Hello! Non-Queued post! (what a World! what a World!)

Happy May, my friends! I am busy at work, doing practice exams - and somehow, doing well? (ish!) I have passed a few of my mocks, and I am honestly in shock! I am a most massive failure, my friends, and I always just think, no matter how hard I try, I will always fail. Because I am not allowed to be happy. But. I did it! I have passed at least one practice! Me! I did that! Me! Huzzah! Me! Steph!

It's my birthday next week - I will be 19! It would be exciting, but I do not my birthday! I have had most traumatic things happen to me on my birthday, so. I don't like it. I also have no plans, it's like my family has forgotten! Oh well! If they've forgotten, then it's not like they can hurt me next Tuesday, can they! Well. Probably! They find a way! Getting older when you haven't achieved a single thing in your life is also very demotivating! Like! Other people finished school, they have friends, they go out, get shitfaced, they don't starve themselves, and they can just go out and order coffee by themselves like it's nothing! Gah! I wish that was me! Why not me? Why can't I be normal? I want to be a real 19 year old! I don't want to be me!

But! But! But! Anyway!

Because next week will be hard, I thought perhaps, I could do something fun. My options are limited, because exams! Exams! Exams! Gah! Existential horror!

But I would like to have something to look forward to. My first thought was, maybe I could draw Bunny or something lovely, or even host a DTIYS or something! But. I have just 33 followers, who am I kidding! A DTIYS? with under 50 followers? Think again, you scrub!

SO I am Quite Stuck! Quite Stuck indeed! Oh! Did I tell you guys I am making a Muppet for an art project? oh, last week was so hard.

But I am stuck! So, maybe you guys have some ideas? What can I do to celebrate my birthday? I am hard at work trying to finish writing requests too, you know! I'm not being lazy, I Swear!

Yes. I need ideas. Inspiration. I would host my little Shuu event next week but oh, exams, so much to do, so much. Overwhelmed. Terribly so.

Please let me know if u guys have anything fun for me to perhaps do for my birthday. At least so it will not be terrible. I think it is such a pretty day. Imagine, being lucky enough to be born on May 9th! Isn't that a pretty birthday? I should be lucky, and yet! All i can think about is how offensive it is that something as wretched as me was born on such a pretty day. Maybe that is why I am so unlucky! Bad! Bad Steph, how dare you, ugly little you, be born on something so pretty. Ew! Ew! Ew!

Yes. Anyway. I am rambling. I have an English mock exam today. English! I am somehow not good at English! I'm a so-called writer, a so-called British person, and yet! English sucks for me! I can't answer questions the way they want. Not very autism friendly, these questions. Oh well. I need to go.

Please do tell me if anyone has any ideas for my birthday. I am ok. I am so scared of it being bad. Birthdays are my fear. Birthdayphobia. Is that such a thing?

[ask-the-crimson-king]

Art Hell: Five Years Later

The day I am posting this is the day of mine birth. Huzzah, I am a year older.

A tradition I started shortly after I got my first drawing tablet was to make birthday pieces. Today marks the fifth anniversary of that tradition, so I want to show off my progress.

It isn't a perfect one-to-one but I hink it's good enough. The piece also didn't take nearly as much time as its predecessor, as far as I can recall.

The NightWing is why I held the name MoonClaw for so long; it's not an oc, more of just a representation of the name. It's weird and complicated.

But basically, five years of progress! Huzzah! I'm proud of it, even if it is kinda basic.

A proper piece may be posted soon cause my Pathfinder session... hoo boy. Sadboy pally hours.

[nihilsticpanda]

My son's half birthday was yesterday. He's already six months old! And it's my birthday today. And what a nice day to spend it with the day off and the baby at the in-laws. We also got a new car this weekend and it was delivered today! Huzzah!

[prototypeunit01]

HEY I'M ALIVE HUZZAH BUT BRO CAN DO EVERYTHING OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD his birthday is in 10 days LMAO I had proper beignets today and they were *chef's kiss* I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM TOMORROW I hope he comes to our production oh g o d I HAVE TO CRAM MEMORIZE LINES DUDE AUGH

hi hun i am also quite alive i was just bedridden bc i got braces, they hurttttt 😭

also yes it's almost his bday fr what's your final gift for him??? just sing them lines IT WORKS

[naladotpng]

IT IS MY BIRTHING DAY, HUZZAH, WHOPEE, HOORAY, WOO-HOO. Fun fact: today is also Queen Latifah's birthday. Anyways, here's me with the Bangtan animal gang :) 💛 Also yes, lately I've been subscribing to the golden retriever Namjoon agenda, and no, I'm not sorry. Don't get me wrong, I'll always use the koala emoji for him, but that man is a puppy through and through okay? As for Tae, drawing bears is easier than drawing tigers. That's it. . Please do not repost/use my art in any way :]

[shiroscorner]

My friends are evil

Alright everyone y’all are gonna listen to my story time.

So today is my birthday huzzah! However, because I’m having a family dinner today my friends treated me yesterday. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings

The Cast (Other then my name the names have been changed)

Vlad- Me the main character (he/him)

Lucy- My best friend (she/ her)

Charile- My #2 best friend  (he/him)

Patrick- My 3# best friend (he/him)

Tom- Charlie’s boyfriend and my very good friend (he/him)

Clara- Patrick’s 10 year old daughter (she/ her)

Dallas - Patrick’s 10 year old step-daughter (she/ her)

Our waitress

Alright so we sit down and have a pretty weird dinner all around. Our entrees came way before apps and they came in the most random order possible and also their drink machine was broken so literally everybody got Strawberry Lemonade’s. So half way though my dinner we were talking and someone brings up that Bdubs normally sings for peoples birthday ( our waitress was cleaning a table that cleared out about ten feet away) and I said I was happy that they hadn’t done that for me then Patrick looks at everyone and says “Did no one tell the waitress it was Vlad’s birthday?” everyone goes no and Lucy starts banging on the table going “Birthday” repeatedly and everyone starts joining in. The waitress turns around looks right at our table and comes over immediately and asks “Is it someones birthday?” With the biggest shit eating grin and Charlie says “ Yeah its his” and everyone starts pointing at me and I’m like “please no” and Dallas and Clara go “IT’S HIS BIRTHDAAAAAAAY” The waitress comes around to me and asks me my name and age then says “You will get a bowl of free ice cream and we will wish you a happy birthday” and walks away as soon as shes gone everyone is laughing at me, but twenty minutes go by and nothing. Suddenly the lights in the room dim and the waitress comes over with a microphone and a bowl and says into the mic “EVERYONE AT BUFFALO WILD WINGS WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY TO CELEBRATE GIVE IT UP FOR VLAD ON HIS 28TH BIRTHDAY!” the whole restaurant started chanting happy birthday at me and then I get my ice cream. My face is in my hands and I am red in the face. Everyone is looking at me. as fast as it started its over. the lights are on and everything is over I look at all my friends they all have shit eating grins on their faces and I say “Y’all are a bunch of assholes” and they all burst into laughter.

Wish me luck at Red Robin tonight with my family.

[chemist-ana]

This is also my smile submission for today Day 48 of #101Smiles, because who doesn't love some birthday sex!?

If you really want to get in the mood for this fic: listen to this song. Crazy in Love Remix by Queen Bey Beyoncé

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Sam, Ana Schuyler (MC)

Pairing: Sam Dalton (male) x Ana Schuyler (MC)

Rating: 18+

Content Warning: NSFW- lots of it. STEAMY AF. Get a fan.

Word Count: 1837

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

A/N: Today is Sam Dalton's birthday! Hooray! And to commemorate this momentous occasion, let us shout huzzah! I wrote a seriously steamy NSFW story because these two were just begging to get it on. A big shout out to @txemrn for always being my number one cheerleader and reading through this.

My apologies for the grammar and spelling mistakes that I know are present, I just can't spend any more time editing this, because I am DYING to get it out.

***

I lean my hip into the open drawer and it glides softly to a close. My eyes scan over the leftover birthday cake on the marble counter, and the blown out and discarded candles resting beside it. Movement catches my attention out of the corner of my eye and I turn to see Sam walking back into the kitchen.

“That was quick.” I say softly as he comes up behind me, wrapping his strong sculpted arms around my shoulders.

He presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Yeah, turns out a sugar crash can hit just as hard as a sugar rush.”

He unwraps his arms, stepping besides me and putting a fork full of cake in his mouth. “The boys do know that I turned 37 today, right?” His eyes flick to mine with humor.

“They didn’t last night, hence the question mark.” I laugh softly. My eyes glance over to the time and my thoughts drift to the texting conversation I had with Robin. “Soo, what are you guys going to do tonight?” I try to sound casual, but I might have missed the mark.

“I really don’t know, Robin just mentioned he would pick me up at 10.” He shrugs his shoulders and takes another bite of birthday cake.

“Well, what do you normally do?” I turn and lean my butt against the edge of the counter, crossing my arms.

“We usually go to a whiskey bar and smoke cigars. You know that.” He turns towards me, fear flickering in his eyes before he trains his expression.

I raise one sculpted brow at him. “So you’re going to tell me that Robin, of all people, just wants to sit at a bar and smoke cigars tonight?”

He closes the distance between us as he bends his head so our lips are millimeters apart, a crooked smile playing on his pouty lips. “My love, are you jealous?”

My breath catches in my throat at the intensity of his gaze. I can smell the sweetness of the cake on his breath, and mixed with the smell of his Valentino cologne, it weakens my knees. I take a shaky step back.

“I talked to Robin.”

He took an involuntary step back as nervous energy started to pour off of him. “Oh, what about?”

“Oh, it was very interesting.” I straighten my shoulders and raise my chin. “Something about birthdays past… and what you guys are doing tonight.”

“Ana…” His face drops and he reaches out towards me but I step out of his reach.

“I can’t believe you.” I turn and walk out of the room, making my way quickly to our bedroom. I slam the door shut and smile softly as I take a moment to lean on the closed door. Time for operation birthday boy.

***

I sat with my legs crossed on the tall wing back chair in the corner of our room. A pair of black strappy Louboutins on my feet, my curves and most intimate places hidden by a black La Perla lingerie set, the soft glow of candlelight flickering off of my olive skin. The door opened slowly and Sam’s handsome face came into view. His eyes widened as they scanned the room, finally coming to rest on me.

“What’s all of this?” He whispers quietly as he walks slowly through the room, his eyes trained on me.

“Well, Mr. Dalton, if you wanted a show, all you had to do was ask.”

A devilish grin spread across his face as he came to a stop right in front of me. I looked up at him, and his eyes grew dark with desire. He reached out and slowly ran a finger down my jaw.

I stood up gracefully from the chair, our lips only a breath away. I watch his Adam’s Apple rise and fall. I lean in even closer, my lips brushing the shell of his ear. “Sit down.” I took his ear lobe between my teeth and sucked softly before stepping out of his reach.

Our eyes are locked on each other as he folds his tall, muscular frame into the chair, and I give him a sly smile as I bend forward, putting my breasts at his eye level, resting my hands on the armrests. His eyes slid down my body as he let out a deep breath. I bit my lip as I dropped my voice into a husky whisper.

“Happy birthday, to you.” My voice is sultry as I channel my inner Marilyn.

Happy birthday, tooo youuu.”

Happy birthday… Mr. CEO.” I shimmy my shoulders slightly and he watches my breasts bounce side to side.

Happy birthday, to youuu.”

His eyes find mine again with heat and longing. His Adam Apple rises and falls. “That was…” he clears his throat.

I stood up, turning my back to him, and with an accentuated sway of my hips, walked to the speaker system on the dresser. I press play, and the opening piano notes of “Crazy in Love” fills the quiet room.

I turn back towards him, letting my head lull back as I slowly trace my fingers down, following every dip and rise of the curves of my body. When I pick my head up, my eyes are fixed on him as he watches me with an almost animalistic gaze. His fingers grip the armrest, his jaw set.

I walk slowly back towards him and he reaches out to touch me. “No touching the merchandise, Mr. Dalton.” I trace a manicured fingernail across his firm chest. “Just sit back and enjoy the show.” His tongue darts out to lick his lips and my insides clench. I take a deep breath, letting myself get lost in the sexy and sultry tones.

I turn around, squatting down until the curves of my ass just barely graze the hardened desire in his pants, and I turn my hips in an agonizing slow circle. I lift my hands above my head as I continue to grind into him, increasing my pressure with every slow circle. I recognize the shift in the song and I stand up. Pride swells in my chest as my eyes meet his dark, hooded gaze. I climb onto his lap, straddling his hips.

I throw my head back as I push my chest towards his face and sink my hips down as I grind into his. I hear his breath hitch at the contact and a rush of desire floods my veins. I close my eyes as I roll my hips and my chest with my head pulled back. I bring my arms to his shoulders as I bring my breasts to within a breath of his lips.

I halt my movements, bringing my gaze to the top of his head as he stares unabashedly at the lace covering my breasts. I can feel the heat of his breath on my sensitive skin. I reach back and unclasp the delicate bra. I pull the straps off of my shoulders and the soft pink of my pert breasts bounce free. He groans, leaning forward to bring one of my nipples between his teeth. I take a sharp breath in at the sensation before pushing him back into the chair.

His stormy eyes turn up to meet mine, and I give him a coy smile.

“No touching.” I whisper as I reach up and place my hand on his cheek. He clenches his jaw. I bring my hands up above my head, trailing my fingers down until they wrap softly around each breast, teasing and pulling my soft pink nipples into firm peaks. I continue trailing my fingers down as I resume grinding my hips into his hard cock that is straining in his pants.

“Mmm… baby. I love giving you a show.” I purr into his ear and need coils in my body.

I climb off of his lap, but step up onto either side of his legs. My long legs place my most intimate place right in front of his hot, panting breath. I move my hips side to side in slow, deliberate movements. His eyes scan slowly up my body, lingering on my hips, then my breasts, then finally settling on my eyes. I smile. I trail my fingers along my every curve until they rest on the waist of my lace panties. I dip my fingers down the front, feeling the pooling wetness of my desire. I throw my head back in ecstasy as I press firmly on my clit.

“Fuck, Ana. Let me touch you baby.”

I remove my hand, but skim my fingers along the fabric.

Suddenly he stands up, wrapping his hands firmly around my ass, I wrap my legs around his hips and yelp in surprise. He carries me to the window, pinning me firmly against the cold glass. He reaches between us and tears the panties from my body with a growl.

He leans in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “You are the sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen. And I cannot control myself around you. So right now, I am going to take you, hard and fast.” He growls and I can’t help the whimper that escapes my lips. He reaches down and I hear him undo his zipper, and suddenly he slams his huge cock deep into me.

“Sam!” I moan loudly as my eyes flutter closed. He continues to pump his rock hard cock into me, our moans echoing off of the walls of our master suite. He grabs my wrist and pins them above my head. I open my eyes and watch as he leans back just enough so he can see my face. His obsidian eyes are hooded with desire. I can feel my body tightening as it nears the edge.

“Come for me, Anastasia.” He demands, his voice husky.

His words are my undoing and my body crashes over the edge in an earth shattering orgasm. I clench around his cock and my head falls back.

“Fuck.” He cries out as he buries his head in my shoulder. I feel his cock twitch over and over as he finds his own release deep inside of me.

Our bodies are intertwined as we both slowly regain our breaths.

He lowers me down to the ground, holding me until he is sure I have my footing.

His slow smile was pure satiated male.

“That was the best birthday present I have ever gotten.” He brings his hand up to my cheek, his thumb tracing my bottom lip.

Our moment is broken by the buzzing of his phone on the floor. He bends down and picks it up, his eyes locked on mine.

“Hey Rob.”

“Sorry, I was… busy.” The corner of his lip quirks up.

“Give me a few minutes.” He hangs up.

I smile at him. “Go, have fun.”

He shakes his head, stepping back up to me and wrapping his arms around me, pulling my lips to his.

“I fucking love you.” He says against my lips.

“I love you, too.”

My apologies if anyone is on this tag list that doesn't want to be, it is a combination of my smile tag list and my fic taglists because this is my smile submission today!

Tag list: @txemrn @lifeaskim @secretaryunpaid @pixie88 @choicesficwriterscreations @thefrenchiemama @shewillreadyou@melalicious8383 @somersetmummy @nestledonthaveone @aussieez @sfb123 @mainstreetreader @shewillreadyou @khoicesbyk @lady-calypso @choicesficwriterscreations @somersetmummy @melalicious8383 @chrissythadon @shannonwrote @jerzwriter @genevievemd @lady-calypso @lucy-268 @itsjustwinter @jennieausten @kat-tia801 @gardeningourmet @forallthatitsworth @audburn

[littleaipom]

It’s my birthday today!! :D I made it to 25, which means I’m officially no longer in my early 20′s--Huzzah! 🎉🎉🎉

This also marks the year anniversary of an important event to me: my day-long road trip when moving from Colorado to California. That move has really changed my life for the better in the past year. It allowed me to reconnect with friends and family, get a new  job, and gave me some breathing room to get more into drawing and fandom ^^

Here’s to another year!  Thanks for hanging with me on tumblr dot com ✨ to anyone who has ever interacted with me or my art on this site (or others): thank you. Y’all help me stay motivated 💜

[animereaderinsertwriter]

So, this is definitely not my typical work (I dont usually do crossovers or anything non-reader insert) but I did this piece for my best friend's birthday, and I thought it'd be a shame if I didn't post it for everyone to enjoy as well 🧡💚💛💙 Happy April Fool's!

Without further ado, I present to you my title-less wonder, Haikyuu x My Hero Academia: A Volleyball Game But With Only My Friend's Favorite Characters!

***

Warnings: none, unless u count occasional swearing, or the fact that ive only seen like the first 10 (?) episodes of haikyuu, or the fact that this is totally unbeta'd, or the fact that i'm typing this at midnight only to schedule the post to look like im awake during normal human hours-

Description: Haikyuu characters and My Hero Academia characters play volleyball. Someone faints, Deku's a menace, and Aizawa can't figure out why this was supposed to be a good idea in the first place. Huzzah.

“You know, smoking is bad for your health.”

Aizawa had held the comment back for as long as he could. The opposing team’s captain— some young punk named Ukai-san, apparently— had been chain-smoking for fifteen minutes now with no signs of stopping.

“Sure it is,” Ukai replied offhandedly. “So is grinding your teeth like that. We all have our vices.”

Aizawa’s jaw tightened, but he forcibly relaxed it at a knowing look from Karasuno’s coach.

It was going to be a long day.

At first, the reasoning behind this one-day volleyball training camp had seemed sound. Class 1A had been through more than its fair share of trauma, what with the world attempting a dramatic ending via psychopathic villain, and initially, the idea of allowing the students to meet new friends and let off some steam in a healthy, physical way, especially since Karasuno’s volleyball club was such a lighthearted and welcoming group of young men; however, now that Aizawa was here at Karasuno’s gym, watching his students mix and mingle, it was beginning to occur to him that the personalities of the students who had signed up might clash in all the wrong ways. After all, the boys from Karasuno had seen very little of the world, and the sharp, focused intensity of U.A.’s students often ostracized them from their peers. If the way Ukai-san’s presence was grating on Aizawa’s nerves was an indicative sample, then today could turn out very poorly indeed.

“Is that one of your kids trying to eat a volleyball?” Ukai asked, casually shifting his weight to the leg closest to Aizawa.

As he watched Bakugou give the ball a good old-fashioned hate-chew, Aizawa had to affirm that it was, in fact, one of his.

“Does he have issues or something?”

“You could say that.” Aizawa paused, scanning the crowd of players, then added, “I see you have a brooder on your team. What’s his damage? Does he think he’s Edward Cullen or something?”

Ukai shrugged. “Think more like the ego of Mick Jagger if someone took him down a peg for not being a team player. Don’t let Kageyama-kun fool you, though, I’m pretty sure that’s just his face.”

Another pause, then Ukai added,

“You’re not without some brooders yourself. What’s up with glasses guy, half-and-half, and the weird, mutter-y guy?”

Aizawa grunted. “Iida-kun—glasses guy—is class president. He’s a stickler for rules, but he’s actually just really sincere. As for Midoriya-kun, well, he’s sort of a nervous mutterer, does it when he’s overanalyzing something. He doesn’t mean for it to come off as creepy—that’s just an added bonus.”

“And half-and-half?”

Aizawa shrugged.

“Daddy issues.”

Ukai raised a brow.

“That’s all?”

“Mommy issues, too.”

A beat of silence, then—

“Well, he’s also a little traumatized by his older brother—a classic case of rebellious teen turned mass-murderer.”

Ukai gave him a look.

“And instead of therapy, you’re trying—”

“Volleyball, yes.”

That settled the conversation for a while. Together, the two mentors watched their students, silent, but engaged. Now and then, they would lean closer and voice some opinion or other, and by the end of the next three minutes, they’d managed to group their students together in a way that played to their respective strengths. When they deemed their students ready, Ukai blew his obnoxious whistle and gathered the students together before dividing them up in teams of two or three to run drills and learn the game.

This should be fun, Aizawa thought wryly to himself. As long as no one sets the gym on fire, blast straight through the floor, or destroy the wax finish somehow, it might even turn out well.

***

Hinata tried not to hold it against Midoriya Izuku that his muttering was more nerve-wracking than a championship match, but it was awfully difficult to concentrate on anything else when the guy took note of everything Hinata said, both verbally and physically in his little notebook.

“And, uh, well, that should be everything you need to know about spiking,” Hinata finished, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Wanna give it a go?”

“One second,” Midoriya replied, stowing his notebook and pen away in his pocket. “Do you think that maybe I could watch you do it first? I’d like to watch the way your body moves during the spike.”

Hinata was reluctant at first— if he was going to make an exhibition of himself, he wanted Kageyama as his setter, which meant pulling his teammate away from his partner, which seemed to be a bad idea, as the two of them shared a tense, brooding silence— but something about Midoriya’s unassumingly analytical disposition made it hard to deny his request. As soon as Kageyama looked over, Hinata signaled to him to come over, and after a few moments, they were ready to show their U.A. partners what they were made of.

As always, it happened faster than Hinata could think and slower than he could ever have imagined; Kageyama’s set was picture-perfect, and as Hinata flew through the air, there was never a doubt in his mind that his palm would connect with the ball. As always, the rush was incredible, and Hinata couldn’t help the goofy smile that slipped onto his face once his feet returned to the floor.

“Whoah,” said Midoriya with an expression of awe that reminded Hinata of the first time he’d seen a perfect spike. “That was incredible!”

“That’ll be you before we’re done today,” Hinata replied, clapping Midoriya on the back, the nostalgia for his own first days spreading happy warmth through his chest. “Did you see what you needed to see?”

Midoriya confirmed that he had, and the two of them thanked Kageyama for his help and got started with their training.

Despite Hinata’s earlier reservations about his partner, Midoryia Izuku was a nice guy and quick study. One For All’s successor was dauntless, rising to every challenge Hinata set forth, and his eager determination immediately endeared him to Hinata. Not only that, but with every attempt, Midoriya gained skill and speed at a rate that Hinata hadn’t thought possible. The guy was a prodigy in his own right.

“You’re doing really well,” Hinata encouraged his partner as they took their break. “You’re a real natural.”

Midoriya’s smile almost seemed to make him glow, his freckles like tiny, dark stars.

“Thanks.”

A moment passed by, and Midoriya seemed to be thinking. Hinata kept silent, having learned even in the short time they’d known each other how sharp Midoriya’s insights could be, and when his partner finally voiced his thoughts, Hinata wasn’t disappointed.

“I have an idea,” said Midoriya, “But I don’t know enough about the theory of the game to know if it would work or not. Can I run it by you?”

“Of course,” Hinata replied, thinking that he was prepared to answer any question his partner might have, but when Midoriya leaned over to whisper the plan in his ear, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re fast enough for that?”

Midoriya nodded. “More than. But would it work?”

“Maybe,” Hinata replied, “But I’m pretty sure it’s a foul?”

Midoriya thought some more, then asked, “Could I get away with it once or twice?”

“I suppose,” Hinata replied, “But why would you want to?”

At that, Midoriya grinned— a sweet, innocent thing that somehow felt alarmingly fake.

“You’ll see.”

***

“The ‘ultimate defense,’ huh?” Kirishima mused, looking on as Bakugou took pointers from another of Karasuno's players. “Sounds right up my alley!”

Nishinoya grinned. “Then you’re my kinda guy!”

Nishinoya walked him through the steps of being the team’s libero— duties, expectations, etc.— and the more Kirishima heard, the more intrigued he became.

“You have to be ready to do anything, go anywhere to get between the ball and the floor,” he told Kirishima, a look of joy and pride shining in his eyes. “You’re a little tall for a libero, but I think you’ve got what it takes.”

Kirishima gave his partner a big grin and a thumbs-up.

“I won’t let you down,” he replied with a wink. “Let’s get to it!”

Unfortunately, no matter how cool the position of libero was, it came with a lot of rules attached. Kirishima’s head spun with the effort of trying to keep up with all of it, but Nishinoya made it sound so easy that he was almost afraid to ask questions. In the end, however, the actual physical part of training to be a libero came surprisingly easy, so U.A.’s manliest didn’t feel too far out of his depth.

“You know, I think we should be friends,” said Nishinoya on one of their breaks, running a hand through his hair. “You’re a rock-solid dude.”

Kirishima grinned.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Wait ‘til you see this, then.”

To be quite fair, Kirishima hadn’t known that Nishinoya had never seen a quirk in action before… so he tried not to be offended when Nishinoya screamed like a girl when he activated his quirk, hardening his skin— or when, after being revived by smelling salts, Nishinoya fainted again upon seeing Kirishima standing over him, still in hardened form.

***

Half-way through his training session with the half-and-half U.A. kid, Daichi could have cried with relief.

Normal. Finally, he’d been given the opportunity to teach volleyball to someone normal! This Todoroki kid was quiet, well-mannered, and intelligent, the paragon of normalcy. No weird obsessions, no lofty aspirations, no hot temper, and no nervousness— the guy was perfect!

“You’re doing great, kid,” he said, patting Todoroki on the arm. “I wish I could draft you onto my team at Karasuno, I really do.”

Todoroki smiled— a small, slight expression— and said,

“Thanks, dad.”

It took a moment for the realization to sink in, but once it had, there was no going back. Both of them blushed from the tops of their chests to the crown of their heads, and neither of them spoke again for the rest of the training.

So much for normal, Daichi thought, smiling almost maniacally to keep from cringing. I guess that doesn’t exist.

However, he was secretly still a little grateful for his partner even after The Incident— if he’d have been paired with the blond kid who was beatboxing to Tanaka’s freestyling, only God knows what he would have done.

***

While their students were getting to know one another, Ukai and Aizawa discussed team placement. Thankfully, they were both in agreement that they should divide the kids into heterogeneous teams (ones with members from both U.A. and Karasuno), and after watching the interactions between the players, there was little question of who would play best with whom; altogether, it may have taken them ten minutes in the break after training had stopped for them to make up their minds.

“You wanna do the honors?” Ukai asked, offering Aizawa his whistle. “Sure,” the older man replied. “But I don’t need that thing. Watch this.”

Aizawa stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply, and all of his students froze, redirecting their attention and that of their peers to their teacher. Ukai would be lying if he said he wasn’t sort of jealous of that sharp, clean whistle, but wisely said nothing as the students gathered round.

“Listen up,” Aizawa announced, all business. “I’m dividing you all into teams of shirts and skins. Shirts, you’re up first.

“Midoriya-san, Hinata-san, Daichi-san, Iida-san, Nishinoya-san, Todoroki-san. Skins: Tanaka-san, Bakugou-san, Kaminari-san, Sugawara-san, Kirishima-san, Kageyama-san.”

The students divided themselves up as Aizawa had announced, and Ukai took over to explain the rules of the game once more before sending them off with a “good luck” to both teams as the match commenced.

“Got any idea who’s going to win?” Ukai asked, genuinely curious as to what his shrewd counterpart would say. “Neither,” Aizawa replied.

Ukai blinked, nonplussed, but Aizawa didn’t elaborate.

A few minutes into the match, it became apparent that U.A. didn’t fuck around with its physical training program— they were more than keeping up with their Karasuno counterparts. The level of strength and endurance those kids were capable of was truly mind-blowing, but that was not their only advantage. Apparently, U.A. also liked to play dirty. Within the first couple points, Midoriya Izuku and Bakugou Katsuki had proved themselves to be formidable wing-spikers by sheer power of intimidation— Bakugou had an arm like a cannon, leaving the ball almost smoking after every spike, and Midoriya’s strategy of spiking the ball directly downward (i.e., into the blocker’s face) served the double purpose of creating an opening for Hinata to spike the rebound coming off the poor blocker’s face and intimidating the blockers to the point that they actually flinched every time Midoriya jumped— and that was to say nothing of the daunting presence of the others, all dark and dangerous and out for the kill. It all felt on the verge of unsportsman-like, but Aizawa said nothing, so Ukai let it be.

Your kids are kind of scary, Aizawa-sensei, Ukai thought was he watched Iida— a steadfast, dependable setter for his team, no doubt a product of Kageyama’s teaching— set up a spike for Daichi that sailed past the other team’s blockers. What do they put in the food at U.A., anyway?

However, there was one major flaw with U.A.’s playstyle that Ukai could see—the players from U.A. pushed themselves too hard. Instead of relying on their teammates— or, God forbid, not barrelling towards the ball at top speed every single time— Class 1-A preferred to rely on themselves and each other, which resulted in the rapid depletion of the seemingly endless stamina. Superhuman abilities or not, that type of playing wouldn’t be sustainable throughout the match; Ukai said as much to Aizawa after the first set, and Ukai found the older man’s response to be quite peculiar.

“They probably have no idea they’re doing it,” said Aizawa. “These kids are used to sacrifice, used to pushing themselves to their limit and past it. I suppose it's a byproduct of living in a society of heroes.”

Together, Ukai and Aizawa agreed to call a time out and talk to both teams about it, and Ukai was surprised to find that Aizawa had been correct— once it was pointed out to the teams, the U.A. students looked immediately contrite and apologized to their fellow players for being so aggressive. Ukai watched on in wonder as his own team smiled encouragingly and patted their new friends’ shoulders, letting them know that there was nothing to forgive.

“I think I understand why our schools thought this was a good idea,” Ukai said to Aizawa once they were out of earshot. “I think these kids really are good for each other.”

Aizawa grunted. “My students were heroes too soon and children too late. Your team is all childish wonder. It makes sense that they would be drawn to one another.”

At that, Ukai smiled. It was turning out to be a damn good day after all.

***

Aizawa hated being right sometimes.

It was nearing seven in the evening when the kids finally seemed to tire. Once U.A. took their feet off the gas pedal, the amount of energy left in their reserves increased exponentially, and between Karasuno’s experience and U.A.'s determination, the ball hardly ever touched the ground. Every point was won through grueling competition, often taking several minutes to conclude— frankly, Aizawa was tired just watching them.

“Will they give it a rest already?” Ukai groused as an exhausted Kirishima stumbled forward just in time to keep the ball in the air. It’s like none of them know when to quit.

Aizawa only grinned. That’s what he liked about them.

“Kaminari-kun,” Aizawa could hear a tired Tanaka say from across the court, “If you don’t start serving better, there’s going to be an Amber Alert out for you, you’re embarrassing me.”

Ukai chuckled, and Aizawa allowed himself a smile as Kaminari gave his teammate a weak thumbs-up.

“How much longer do you think this will take?” Ukai asked.

“Until someone passes out. At that point, I’ll call the match in favor of whoever has the highest score.”

It took another hour before someone finally collapsed. Hinata— who had exhausted himself jumping to keep up with Midoriya’s grueling pace— failed to land a leap and ended up flat on his face and stayed that way, utterly depleted. At that time, the teams were tied, and no one was coherent enough to complain that there was no clear winner when Aizawa called the tie; exhausted, the students retreated to the locker room, each of them clapping a teammate on the back.

“You know, Todoroki-kun,” Aizawa overheard one of the older Karasuno players saying as they passed, “I’d be proud to be your dad.”

Todoroki choked, and Aizawa chuckled as the Karasuno player slung an arm around his teammate.

Maybe this match was a good idea after all.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Okay so we're down at this end of the month and I'm thinking what a lovely month that was.

Especially this morning in the kitchen, looking out the window to our backyard bathed in morning sunlight and listening to my Debussy playlist. Of course our backyard isn't the gardens at Giverny, far from it. But it did conjure a peaceful vibe of impressionism into the midst of getting ready for today, this last today of June.

The reality of our month is that we crashed into it. We spent the last week of May feeling relentlessly behind moving everything from the apartment to the house. Those days were packed. And we were fully exhausted.

So then we wake up at the house on June 1 and I'm horsing around with Photoshop's Generative Fill, transforming van Gogh's Starry Night into the background of an abstract manger scene on a canvas four times the size. The only reason I can rationalize taking the time to do that's because we're no longer in the midst of a crazy time crunch after intense weeks of moving out.

A coupla weeks later and we're trialing out ChatGPT to see how adept at writing is something you can't actually trust. Turns out it's good and fast at organizing and structuring whatever it is you need, some of it's downright breathtaking... but yeah you can't trust it. So now we're back to the bad old Cold War years when our national slogan was Trust but Verify.

Verify verify verify.

A few days into the month and it's time to commute again. I discover that from the Transit Center to the U-dub's a faster ride than I thought it would be. 

Huzzah!

This month was also the month the show BrainWorks: Vision & the Brain won an Emmy in the Children/Youth/Teens category. We all got fancied up for this, the 60th anniversary of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northwest. 

I won't lie. The desserts at these events are always the best. They're absolutely magnificent, though, when you walk off the stage with a golden Emmy statuette in hand. ☺️

We celebrated Susan's birthday after getting into June a week because her birthday's on May 31st, our final day to get absolutely everything out of the apartment and make sure the apartment's back to original condition so our full deposit's returned or at least as much as possible of it. We didn't wanna leave any money we didn't have to. 😕

This was, by the way, our second birthday without Susan and her absence from our lives is still quite obvious.

The Little Lies made a triumphant return to Chateau Ste Michelle in June. I'm guessing the flat-out sunny day into evening had a lot to do with it, including the stage sized area in front of the stage (a big grassing area, basically) that was promptly turned into a dance floor whilst we, sitting on our picnic blanket to one side of the stage, sipped our Merlots and Reislings and, eventually, desserted with a lovely gelato to the soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac hit after hit after hit performed to wildly enthusiastic perfection by the Little Lies bandmates.

Also at the top of the month: I discovered my longest commute was also a faster trip than I expected.

Huzzah again!

Plus, these longer (but not annoyingly longer) commutes are a lovely tribute to getting from here to there with zero stress along with bonus time for sleeping, reading, and writing. 😁

Back at the house, our family room is the first room Kimmer officially completes and it's a total hit. While we call it the "family room" it is, in fact, a clever combination of living room, adjunct office, and exercise room (with its two exercise machines stationed in the back half of the room).

In short order, Kimmer's office takes award-winning shape, she scores just the right storage headboard and fashions a pair of custom nightstands to complete our bedroom, and I now have an office, an actual edit suite that's taken on its own personality.

Meanwhile, our backyard remained a jungle that first half of the month. It didn't take shape, didn't even hint at what it's gonna be until down toward the end of the month when we're regularly sitting out back charting or writing or flat-lining or sharing a meal out front, including our belated Father's Day breakfast featuring a lovely hot chocolate and those chocolate truffles from Trader Joe's. 😁

By the way, because we moved back to the house at the time of the month Kimmer usually travels to California to check in on her aunt, she booked flights for both of us to take that trip during the middle of the month. And, for the first time, we didn't fly out from SeaTac to Long Beach, we hopped a ride share from our house to Paine Field, caught a flight from Paine Field to John Wayne in Orange County, a direct flight that was hardly longer than the first leg of our usual SouthWest flights that land us in San Jose, Salt Lake City, or Las Vegas. Our trip turned into a lovely vacation from the relentless work of moving out and moving in. We had, as we always do, fun travels with each other, good times with family, and the perfect visit with Kimmer's aunt who greeted us both with—

"So... did you finally get married?"

Actually, well, yes. Yes we did. ☺️

Aside from the moving out followed by the month long moving in, there's definitely a change of lifestyle underway. Even just in how we think about our home which is undergoing a rearranging, a reorganizing, and most of all, a re-imagining of how it needs to be and why. In a way, we're wrapping it more tightly around our needs and aspirations.

For sure we were taken by surprise at how difficult the move was simply because our previous moves, while being hard work, were straightforward. They didn't drag out like this. The only reason I can imagine is that this is our first time populating a house with things we already own, some of which is in storage. That fact alone precipitated a kind of shell game between the house, three storage units, various second hand stores, and the dump.

In other news, we're beginning to slide back into our normal social routines, hanging out with Linzy at her place in Seattle a coupla times, both of which included screenings of Daisy Jones and the Six. 

We can now totally cross episodes seven and eight off the list.

Also, our second time with Linzy in Seattle produced what I'm almost certain will be our family Christmas portrait, a series of three we took in the cramped photo booth at Tapster in South Lake Union.

One of the changes in our social routines after we moved in is that we actually (and finally) got to hang out with some dear friends and their little ones not once but twice because we're up here with them now and it's easy to do. 

And totally silly.

And totally fun.

And good for the soul. ☺️

Consider it one of those things I just realized.

Or just re-realized.

Also good for the soul was date night at the Blue Plate Cafe & Pub and hanging out at the Rustic Cork Wine Bar & Bistro whilst Linzy hit the highlights of popular music through the decades with her guitar and voice.

The other day she sent me a demo of a new song on which she's working. A little more special than usual, this one really hits home. On top of which Linzy then says to me "I've got a great string section for this!" by which she means an actual string section, actual human beings on the violin, viola, cello, and bass who take their instruments to breathtaking places.

I'll tell you later how that all works out. 🤨

Okay so last thing.

Okay so next to last thing with a day to go in the month: we kicked in some Kickstarter support to the band Midnight High, a band for which Linzy handles synth and harmonies. A band that's performing at the Bite of Seattle in July (The Little Lies are also in that line-up) with a definite eighties vibe performed through a modern day lens with modern day tech. They really are quite something and they've got an album about to drop.

So there's that.

And then the last thing that literally took us all the way into July, from 9pm to quarter passed midnight: The Little Lies performance at the Nectar Lounge in Fremont. A high energy performance that was met head-on by high energy fans. The combination made for the best kind of show that picked up more and more energy as July approached. And that.

Was our June.

Helluva month that was.

😳