#Anyway rip to this masseuse

[driftingballoons]

Life in the pokemon spa has gotta be challenging at times

[sashi-ya]

THERAPY 🍯˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

🧸 byakuya kuchiki x masseuse! f! reader 🐝 tw: +18 mdni. masturbation. rough sex. domination. 🍯 wc: 821

The curve of his back, the slight bump of his buttocks against your thighs. Hands sliding to the front, index fingers following the V carved in between his abdominal muscles until down, down sinful territories.

“ngh…”

He squirms just a little, so sensitive to your touch… to the biting on his nape, to your hard nipples grazing against his back.

A skin so feverish; you are hot, captain… are you running a fever, captain?

“no… ugh…”

Soft hands, drenched in oil, surrounds the base of his shaft. Thumb going up and down until the tip. Oh, the oozing transparency of pleasure, dripping on the floor.

“are you so very needy, captain? Are your muscles still sore?”

He can’t say much; he doesn’t need to, anyway. Byakuya Kuchiki has been visiting this special therapist for some time now. Every time, every afternoon, his back pain is gone by your magical hands. He comes back home so… relaxed, because those hands of yours do wonders.

“I am… good, I-“ he looses his mind when you pump up and down, and your wrists twists just enough to add that special spice. Byakuya’s legs shake, inner thighs twitch, spasm.

“Oh yeah? Are you, Mr. Kuchiki?” a sweet whispering, playful and naughty, leaves your juicy lips. Lips that are avid to be kissed, to be bitten, to be almost ripped by his. “Relax, Captain… relax more and more. You need to let it go all of your stress, cap”

Your words give him chills, his lower belly shows signs of tensing, and his shaft gets hard, harder… like a rock. He is about to break; he needs to relieve the tension building inside of him.

Wet sounds come from your palm and his sex. Sex that’s imbued in pleasure elixir of lust and aphrodisiac oils dripping down his inner thighs. The scent of cinnamon and honey mixed with manly sweat fills a warm candle illuminated private room.

You shiver to such depiction of masculine fragility; the dichotomy of pure primitive desire versus the class, the delicacy of a cherry blossom man.

“I’m com- coming…” he whimpers, contorting around your grip, around the pinching of his right nipple while you give him pleasure too.

His pointy nose lets a drop of sweat detach and fall to the ground. His everlasting frown, erased by pleasure grimace. His long, silky hair becoming a mess as you nuzzle right into his nape.

“Come, then… captain. Work for it. This is why you came here, right?”

Is not a surprise that such freak control enjoys from time to time to lend control to someone else. To give you total power over his body, as you push his intelligence down until his brain becomes a mush of nothingness but mere need.

Byakuya’s hips move on their own, giving thrusts to the air, fucking almost your hand. Oh, poor man… why would you stop jerking him off right when he is about to come? Edging him so badly… to punish him, perhaps even, of a neglected so needed eruption?

“Keep- please… don’t… stop” he begs, pleading so stupidly for more.

Your devilishly, mocking laughter makes him as mad as humiliatingly harder. Byakuya feels like he is going to burst, coming, squirting and who knows of what more his body is able to react to such torture.

“Mr. Kuchiki, you are just like a teenager…” “You went to far…”

You pushed too far your own limits, honey… and now you are the one being pinned against a massage table.

Your legs become spread with brutally snatching, and your hair painfully pulled by hands of blooming flowers.

“You made me this way, (Name). You wanted me to do this, didn’t you?” he grunts, pumping his slippery sex that’s painfully swollen with desperation.

You are speechless; yet, he is right. Of course you wanted this, violated by a man turned into a beast. Someone who neglected his heart to took over because he denied his own humanity… now is allowing to an even deeper part of himself to reign. There is nothing more deliciously desirable than a man ruled by animal hunger.

The deepest instincts of Kuchiki Byakuya. The deepest thrust into you, in between swollen labia, covering it all with dripping honeys.

Your arching back, forced to stay in place, with breasts squeezed against a hard surface. Aching buttocks from the slam of his legs as he fucks you so hard you can barely think…

But it’s not enough, of course it isn’t.

His right hand, sliding from behind to your belly as you did, lifts you up. Completely curved, your back and body tries to take it all. With feet hanging barely above the ground, with pressure trying to scape in between his sex taking over everything inside of you… of his seed flooding it all.

“Now, my stress is completely gone (Name)… thank you for your service”“Kuchiki-sama… nghh… I’m glad you enjoyed today’s session”

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

One of my most consistent thoughts throughout 100 Gfs has been "This is a weird topic, but you've handled it surprisingly well." Some of the issues feel like unfortunate aspects of the culture in general, while others are topics that are handled so poorly so often that it really leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. It says a lot that Nozawa and Nakamura can take some of the least-liked tropes in the genre and actually do great things with them. A little self-awareness goes a long way -Mod Bubbles

//There are two reasons why that is the way it is.

//The first is that the very reason why 100 Girlfriends does a lot of what it does, and plays around with the ridiculous tropes it has, is purely to rip the everloving piss out of harem and romance as a genre.

//Rightfully so.

//But what's clever about it is they utilize these tropes and poke fun of them while simultaneously avoiding falling in the traps that said tropes have set for previous mangaka's.

//The cast of 100 girlfriends includes a literal MILF, who is the mother of one of the other girlfriends, and also is a blatant lolicon and shotacon; the main character's 12-year old cousin, a girl who became a masseuse purely because she wanted to grope women's breasts, someone's actual grandmother who is 89 in the body of an 8 year old, someone who is usually very stoic and serious but starts acting like an actual baby when she's coddled, someone who only dates you because you're also dating her older sister, an actual sleazeball drunk and gambling addict, a girl with a violence fetish, a fucking cat, and a BRITISH LOLI!

//And yet none of these bass-ackwards tropes put me off these characters because they are FUNNY! And they aren't done in a way that makes you dislike the characters because the entire purpose of why they're like that is because you're supposed to see it as a joke on characters in manga and anime who are like them UNIRONICALLY.

//The second reason I think was put best by Gigguk when he did a video on this series. Because the core concept of the manga is about a guy getting 100 different girls to fall in love with him, and share him with the other 99, there is no way in hell that anyone can take a concept like that with any due sincerity or seriousness.

//So Nakamura just said "fuck it!"

//100 Girlfriends can get away with what it does because from the VERY CONCEPT, you have no suspension of disbelief, so really, the way the manga carries itself isn't by trying to make you pick a team or get engaged in the narrative; it's by trying to find a brand new, absolutely absurd way to either make you laugh, tug on your heartstrings, make you audibly say "What the actual fuck," or oftentimes, all of the above.

//Like Danganronpa, 100 Girlfriends shares the premise of having this widespread colourful cast of different characters, all based on stereotypes and well-known gimmicks and tropes, constantly getting into unrealistic and stupid hijinks and situations, for people to sink their teeth into and react to, but UNLIKE Danganronpa, where I definitely have a mixed opinion on a lot of its cast (looking at you specifically, Danganronpa V3) I could not tell you a single character in this manga that I dislike, at least not outside the main cast.

//And I think the reason why that is, is the difference between Kodaka and Nakamura as writers, in that Kodaka's style of writing is very DATED and relies on more classical character tropes, whereas Nakamura's humor is very modern, and keeps up with modern day events, in a similar fashion to something like how South Park constantly rips the piss out of modern society and why it's so stupid. And Nozawa takes this absurdity and runs with it with the illustrations.

//Hell, in the most recent chapter of the manga, Uto quotes Winnie the Pooh, and they make a joke about how he went public domain, and therefore, discussing whether or not she's allowed to get away with that. And it's really goddamn funny when it doesn't need to be.

//Anyway, bottom line is I love this manga and anime too much for my own good. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

-Mod

[myburntwritings]

Luba's Sorrow

On Friday, Luba was being performed by Steven James Apicello.

A fellow audience member had brought up a theory that Luba had also lost a child to Polymestor's sacrifices, and I certainly had that in mind as I followed. It was one of those details that entirely changed my view of a character I have only rarely followed in the past.

Following Luba on Friday, I was watching the story of a broken person. Someone who was devastated by the loss of their child. With their life in tatters, a partner likely lost to the war with Mycenae, in order to survive, they had to take a job with the only person still hiring... Polymestor, the very man who promised to keep their child safe, and then sacrificed them for his own survival.

I could see their fury and utter terror in every interaction with Polymestor. They flinched away at every motion towards them. They kept their gaze downcast. They submitted to Polymestor's demands for physical gratification, too terrified for their own fate to say no.

I could feel their yearning for their own child every time they looked at the royal children. This was a parent without a child. I welled up as Luba dragged Hecuba from witnessing what was about to happen to Polydorus, and knew without a doubt that Luba had hidden themselves, watching the fate of these young boys in the past. Always desperate to know what happened to their own child, but too terrified and broken to stop it.

There was an entire backstory in my mind as Luba collected the masseuse mask from under the bed and delivered it to the Peep windows. This was someone who had been forced into that position before.

Broken and devastated, they did whatever was needed to keep going. And if that meant dancing in the Peep windows, so be it. It didn't matter, anyway. They had nobody left to feel shame over it. But still, they had pulled themselves up from that. They had secured a job in the hotel. The fact it means offering themselves to Polymestor has to be better than the strangers in the Peep windows, right?

Tears rolled down my cheeks as Luba stopped Hecuba from returning, as they stopped Hecuba from ending her own life. The absolutely stunning performances from Steven James Apicello and Fania Grigoriou as Luba and Hecuba were devastating.

Luba's revulsion at gratifying Polymestor, but their steely determination to keep Hecuba safe, from ensuring Hecuba does not meet the same fate as them, is palpable. Luba needs Hecuba's revenge almost as much as Hecuba herself. They need to see Hecuba's revenge is consummated instead of wasted in a moment of blinded rage.

Perhaps that was how their own revenge was lost. They acted without thinking, and now they are paying for it.

Luba knows her Queen. They know her strength. They know that Hecuba can do what they could not, but only if they are smart.

Polymestor pinning Luba to the bed after Hecuba has left was physically painful to watch. It was the vision of a long-battered person who believes they have no way out. That if they submit to his rage without complaint, maybe they will survive.

I wanted to run forwards and rip Polymestor back away from them.

The blinding ritual was cathartic to watch. It wasn't only Hecuba's revenge being carried out. It was every parent who had lost a child to Polymestor's scheme to satiate Moloch.

Revenge was at Hecuba's hands, and I can only hope that, if the story continued, Luba might be able to find peace and finally forgive themselves.

[the-green-maiden]

Supernatural Fair Fight Livestream Recap with timestamps

(based off of the notes I took while watching live. any errors are mine and not the fault of the cast or abrams)

21:01 Panel Starts. Misha introduces panel- Stacey Abrams, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padelecki, Erik Kripke, Berto the ASL interpreter.

21:02 Stacey Abrams talks about how she got into SPN. Talks about running for governor(?) in California(?), having trouble gathering support/campaign funds. On a particularly bad day, ends up watching SPN in her hotel room. Loves it, ends up watching the whole show after this. Quotes “Even if it’s hard we can’t stop” and “who else is going to do this” and talks about keeping going.

21:05 Kripke: “Wow”

Ackles: “That’s one of the most beautiful interpretations of what we do, how we tell the story.”

21:06 Kripke: “Grateful we could provide inspiration” 

21:07 JarPad: *reiterates above* joke about how “Kripke’s writing is questionable at best.”

21:08 Misha: “The reason we tell stories is to inspire people” creates an allegory about the ‘invisible enemy’ of voter suppression with the invisible enemy trope common in storytelling. “As we made the show, we were taking inspiration from [Abrams]”

21:09 Kripke asks Abrams to tell more about Fair Fight

21:09 Abrams talks about a secretary of state(?) [whose name I didn’t catch but who JPad refers to as ‘Lucifer”] who was in charge of voter registries in Georgia who wrongfully removed thousands of voters from lists, closed essential polling locations, and prevented people from voting, which disproportionately impacted POC and youth voters, and led to 8+ hour wait times in remaining locations. Abrams tells of how her and FF acted to fix this and change the whole system for the better. “If this becomes about politicians, no one is going to care, but when it becomes about people’s [list of basic rights and essential services]...” “...Patriotic belief that democracy means that if you’re eligible to vote, you get to be heard. Fair Fight is committed to ensuring that every voter in the US has the right to vote, and we are pretty good at it.”

21:16 Misha voices concerns about Trump’s attempts to make the 2020 vote counts seem unreliable.

21:17 Abrams gives an in-depth history of voter suppression in the US, committed by both parties at various times, including restrictions on mail-in votes, ID laws, and something about the voting rights act.

21:18 A bunch more panelists join in, including Jake Abel, Felicia Day, and a number of other SPN cast members.

21:19 Abrams says that in Texas a gun license is a valid id to vote, but a college id is not. “Everyone should get to participate, not just the chosen.” Mentions that she has not seen the final 3 episodes yet, request no spoilers until she logs out.

21:22 Kripke thanks Abrams for her political work.

21:22 Felicia Day says she was very excited to meet Abrams at Dragon Con.

21:33 Misha and Kripke try to move panel along to comply with Abrams limited time availability.

21:24 Rachel Miner “We all admire you [Abrams], you’re our hero.”

21:25 JPad gives a long speech thanking Abrams that was too fast to write down verbatim. “It’s important that everyone have their own voice” says it’s an honor to meet Abrams.

21:26 Bob Singer asks a question about Purdue(?) not showing up to a debate.

21:27 Abrams gives a detailed answer about swing states, swing voters, the lack of swing voters in Georgia, and the relatively small impact that Purdue(?) missing a debate would have on his numbers. Long speech about mail-in voting.

21:29 Sebastian Roche asks a question about run-off votes. Abrams answers.

21:30 Rachel Miner asks a question about voter registration descrimination against people w foreign names.

21:31 Abrams talks about how this has happened and what Fair Fight is doing to combat it, and how Fair Fight’s legal actions have managed to significantly reduce the amount of mail-in ballots thrown out for having difficult to understand names on them.

21:33 Shoshanna Stern thanks Abrams for her efforts in making voting more disability accessible.

21:34 Abrams answers, gives more info on the subject and the importance of having accessible voting locations.

21:36 Jim Beaver says it’s wonderful to be able to talk to Abrams, etc.

21:37 Abrams realizes her time has just about run out, and says thank yous and good byes. Mentions that tomorrow is her birthday. Multiple members of the cast wish her a happy birthday. More goodbyes from everyone, and thank yous to and from Abrams. Abrams exits call.

21:39 Kripke and Misha encourage people to donate to FF

21:41 Misha and Jensen rib each other, joke about an open bar.

21:41 Misha “Now we’re just going to waste your time for half an hour now that she’s gone”

21:42 Curtis Armstrong tells a short story about his mother, who was a voter activist in Detroit and Switzerland, and how nice it was to see Abrams talk.

21:43 Trivia intro. Multiple jokes made at the same time about state capitals.

21:44 Jim Beaver “When my kid was 7, I asked her the capital of Vermont and she said V”

21:44 Kripke asks semi-serious question about what JPad wore as protection in the ball-crusher Japanese game show scene in Changing Channels.

21:45 JPad “A thimble. A mini-thimble. No, a cup.” says something else about the cup.

21:46 Ackles “Our special effects team likes to go above and beyond”

21:46 JPad comments about real fear in that scene

21:46 Misha tries to get trivia back on track. “Without powers, what does Dean say Cas is?”

------[Baby in a trenchcoat]

“Other name of the Impala?”

Julie McNiven guesses “A special place”. Someone calls out “baby”

-----[Metallicar]

“Name of Sam and Jess’s friend who goes with them to the bar in the pilot?”

Even JPad, who was in the scene, does not know. Kripke comments that it was named after an irl friend of his from Tiuanna, named LUIS.

“5 works Kripke ripped off for SPN?”

Everyone guessing at once, including: Animal House, On The Road, Good Omens, Constantine, Star Wars, and several others.

“What herpes medication does Sam have to do a commercial for?”

[Herpexia]

21:52 JPad and Julie rib each other about herpes meds, and argue whether the term is prescription or subscription for medication. One of them brings up the example of having a subscription to dog food.

21:52 Jake Abel “What if your dog has herpes?”

Misha “I only hope that Stacey Abrams has tuned in”

Seb makes another joke about state capitals, then asks JPad the capital of Albania.

Jared has no idea, guesses ‘new albania’

Seb “Tirana” talks about having lived on a boat, presumably near Albania.

Rob Benedict: “Thanks for tuning in”

Bob Singer asks who knows the story of Seb getting a massage at VAncouver airport.

Jared (paraphrased) “We all fly through Vancouver airport a lot. Just past security there’s a massage place [with the chairs where you face the floor].” One day JPad and Ackles went through security and saw Seb getting a massage. They go over, convince the masseuse [who knows them all at this point] to let JPad take over. Seb does not notice, despite the fact that the masseuse is a small woman and JPad is holding his hands weird to try to make them smaller. JPad says he put his hands down Seb’s back and up his shirt, and Seb still did not notice, just making a noise and saying ‘very nice’. JPad gets as far as groping Seb’s ass before Seb notices anything is up. This is still the middle of a busy airport.

21:58 Seb “It was strangely sensual. Thank you, Robert, for bringing that up.” “I was perturbed for the whole flight back.”

Ackles “Another highbrow story”

Seb “It’s really fun being on that set. It really is” Claims they are also serious sometimes, to which there is laughter in response.

Ackles “It going to be like that on The Boys, Krip?”

Kripke “No massages to completion”

Seb “Wait there was no completion”

Krip “Saw photos of [Ackles’s] supersuit today”

Multiple jokes from several people about Ackle costume for The Boys being assless, crotchless, entirely made of paint, and cowboy-themed.

22:01 Misha “time for about 5 minutes of outtakes”

Someone jokes about adding ‘give Seb a massage’ as a donation tier.

Misha thanks the fans, says he loves and misses all the cast. Asks Rob B to sing.

22:02 Rob B “tune into my radio show” [for singing]

22:03 Misha announced that $225,000 has been raised for charity so far in the stream.

More thank yous from everyone to everyone, including the zoom team.

22:04 Seb “Vote out Mitch McConnel:

Jensen “Such as British accent to tell us who to vote for”

Seb “I’m half French half Scottish”

Jensen and Seb joke about scottish and french alcohols, and how they can’t be mixed.

22:05 Kripke thanks the fans for 15 years. Everyone else joins in on thanking fans for 15 years.

Jake Abel “There was a big gap in there for me somewhere”

Seb asks if Jake was in the first season.

22:06 Jake “3rd, 5, and 15”

Seb gives long thank you speech.

Jensen talks about how the cast is sticking together “This group is not being dispersed”...”I take comfort in knowing this” jokes that they’re stuck together whether they like it or not.

Misha “Like herpes”

Felicia “Genital or otherwise”

22:07 gag reel begins, including Misha’s ‘on-camera finger, Jensen falling off a chair “furniture could use some work”, Jensen failing to pick a lock for a very long time and Jared asking ‘Cas” to open it, Jensen saying ‘hail misha’ instead of ‘hail mary’, Misha failing to keep a straight face while looking at Alex Calvert, Jensen eating something too hot(?), and more that someone has probably already uploaded in full anyway.

21:13 stream ends.

[thisisthehardestthing]

For your 1k follower event -congrats by the way!! Gemini + Kirishima + 7, please!

OKAY LISTEN. I GOT VERY VERY CARRIED AWAY. Who the fuck knew this inspiration would strike me on a TUESDAY at 9:00pm? Not me. Anyway. Thank you for the congratulations, and I hope you enjoy this! It started out innocent, and then just completely derailed into this.

18+, “Is that a tattoo?” x Kirishima Eijirou

word count: 2.2k (what. the. fuck. written in 3 and a half hours) warnings: smut, size kink, public sex, unprotected sex. Thank you for encouraging me, @koiibito and @queensynderella

Kirishima was the hardest guy you knew, even without his quirk activated. The muscles rippled down his back as you stroked deeply, kneading out the knots with strong, practised fingers. You were a private masseuse to the Pro-Heroes, and you were the best. When he booked an appointment, you weren’t shocked, but damn, were you curious. 

Your colleagues all talked about the hulk of a man, wondering what he was like, what his skin felt like. Does he get hard all over? You know, down there? They’d whisper to each other, ask you to find out. Like hell, you will. There’s a reason the Pro’s come to you. You’re professional, courteous, confidentia-

Wow, he’s got a nice ass. You can’t help but think while you worked the lower sciatica, taking out the kinks. He groaned, twitching on the bed, the thin, white sheet covering him doing nothing to hide the firm, toned muscle. “Is the pressure okay?”

He grunted, lifted his head a little to flash you a killer smile.

“It’s perfect,” then fell back down, head in the hole, “I’ve actually been having a bit of back pain so this is great.”

 “Happy to help,” you replied, cordial and quietly, so as not to take over the ambience music in the room, but rather blend in with it. “Have you been training your legs more?”

 “Yeah, can you tell?” there was a tease to his question, but you bit back a retort, not one to instigate. It wasn’t his first one of the session, and it was getting harder to remain placid.

 “The main reason for back pain in heroes is the overuse of the glutes and tight hips,” you commented, digging your finger into the very round of his buttock, right where the nerve ending sits. You’d never heard someone so buff make such a whine before, and you shivered in the sadistic delight of hearing it. God, you love your job.

 “Shit, that’s sore,” Kirishima curses under his breath, you ignored it, the knot of muscle dissipating and relaxing under your relentless fingers. “Damn, you’ve got a magic touch.”

 That’s when you let your facade slip; a giggle escaped your lips.

 “Ah! So you’re not a robot!” the red-haired Hero exclaimed, you huffed, walking back to his head. You warmed another pump of oil in your hands, pressed them down to his neck and stroked up into the shave of his undercut.

 “Of course not,” you scraped at his scalp, watched goosebumps as they danced along the back of his arms. That’s a surprisingly soft, human, skin reaction, something you could tell your co-workers, and as you pulled the longer hair up, you gasped, “is that a tattoo?”

 On the back of Kirishima’s head, covered with thick hair, were two RR’s in his logo. He chuckled, the laugh booming and shaking his body.

 “Yeah,” he paused, only slightly. His voice dropped an octave, sending shivers down your spine “it’s not my only one.”

 Now, how could you resist that? You couldn’t, that’s why you answered him, matching his drawl with your own.

 “Oh? And where are the others?” your heart thumped in your ears, you’d never, ever crossed that line before. But he’s so fit, so charismatic, your mouth responding before your mind caught up.

 He was fast, astonishing for how much muscle he had to move, but he pushed himself up, onto his heels, kneeling. His quads stretched, flexed, the four individual muscles formed hills and valleys up his legs. Your eyes trailed up from his knees, slowly, frightened to see too much at once. Then you saw the second tattoo, right next to his--

 “Oh my,” you cleared your throat, averted your gaze, well, tried to. You felt your face catch fire, but the stiff cock stood up against the taut muscle of his abs. Everything about him was rock solid.

 “Like what you see?” he teased, an overwhelmingly large hand wrapped around the base. You swore he was not this massive laying down on your table a few moments ago. You swallowed, scolded yourself mentally for not looking away, eyes devouring his third leg, and the dragon tattoo next to it. He moved the dick to the left, the skin of his groin pulling flat so the tattoo stands out: black, intricate, dangerous. It stretched across his upper thigh, right below the line of where his hero costume would rest. You opened your mouth to remark, shut it, then opened it again. Fuck.

 “It’s, uh, nice,” you complimented, finally ripping your stare from his bare hips and up to his face, “the tattoo, I mean.”

 His red eyes glinted mischievously, his grin lopsided, teeth sharp.

 “And the cock?”

 “Big.” The words flew from your mouth, your hands instantly covered your lips. You could be swallowed by the earth now and have no complaints. “Shit, sorry.”

There it was, that deep, boisterous laughter. It made your core clench, a fresh wave of heat pool between your thighs. You watched as his chest shook, abdominals flexing and cock bounce. He laughed with his entire body. Does he fuck with it too? You took a few deep breaths, steadied your nerves. There was always a first for everything, and Lord knows, you’re not going to let him book another appointment when his hour is up. You glanced at the clock, there’s still some time. Kirishima’s eyes were closed, his mouth open and head back.

“How about I help you take care of it?” you propositioned. It shut him up quick. His jaw snapped shut, body frozen as he peered at your serious expression, your relaxed stance. You had a perfectly manicured hand on the edge of the bed, leaning into it, glistening with massage oil.

 “If you think you can handle it,” he smirked.

 “Oh, I can handle anything, Red Riot.”

 He red eyes flickered, lit by an internal fire. You rounded the bed, trailing your hands on the edge. He moved to seated, legs hanging off the side. With the lightest of touches, your fingers tips ghosted over the thick thigh. They widened, and you slotted yourself between his knees. There was no time to waste; his hands cupped your cheeks, yours pressed onto his knees, and your mouths met in a hungry kiss.

 His tasted like spices, sandalwood, warm and inviting. His hands drifted lower, down your neck, to the front of your uniform where he began to undo the aestheticians’ coat buttons with deft fingers. You rubbed circles into the muscles of his quads, feeling them ripple beneath your touch as you stroked up, leaning into the kiss with your entire body. You felt the coat loosen. You took a step back, a whine leaving Kirishima’s mouth desperately. The coat is strewn onto the floor. You grabbed the hem of your simple dress and tug it over your head, standing before him in a matching set of underwear. Thankfully.

 “C’mere,” he growled, pulling you close again. His large hands wrapped around your middle, the sheer size of them making you feel petite, dainty, but oh, how you were not. You snaked your arms around his neck, pulled him down for another kiss. He tightened his grip, keeping you flush against his chest and straightening up. You followed, leveraging your weight around his neck, not that you needed to, and straddled his thighs. Fuck, how wide is he? 

 You moaned, lowly, under your breath, when you felt the hardness of his cock slide between your bodies, bump against your mound, tickle your belly. You were getting hot, sweaty, the oil on his body, your hands, slicking up the skin between the two of you. There was a pounding in your chest, your ears, your cunt, as you grind against him, splayed open around his hips. His thick fingers trailed from your waist down your ass, reaching under and pulling up. They massaged between your folds, feeling how your slick soaks through the thin cotton panties.

 “I need to get you ready,” he whispered against your lips, his kisses moving so that they littered your jaw, your neck. Still, you grind down on his hand, the tip barely providing enough relief. You eyed the clock over his shoulder.

 “No time, just fuck me.”

 He pulled back, remarkably restrained for someone who’s cock was practically ready to burst between your bodies.

 “Are you sure?”

 “Yes.”

 “Alright then, but don’t scream.” The cocky bastard winked at you, then had the audacity to rip the seam of your underwear, the side falling apart and down. His lips came back to swallow your cries. It was a fucking matching set. He shifted back so that he was more on the table. Your shins pressed into the firm mattress to lift your hips. One of his hands wrapped around the back of your neck, warm and moist and gravitational. It kept you grounded into his kiss, his tongue coaxing yours from it’s resting place to dance together. His other hand trailed up your thighs, dipped between the gap, and rubbed two fingers against your slick slit, opening it up for the tip of his cock to tease your lower lips.

 He pressed in, and you severely underestimated the stretch, collapsing onto his shoulder. His trap was between your teeth, muffling your moans. Oh God, fuckfuckfuck, but it’s delicious. You breathed through your nose, relaxed into that weighted palm, leaving the smallest of pecks where you almost broke the skin in your bite. Almost.

 “You’re doing good, baby,” Kirishima whispered into your ear, dropping you lower. Your thighs quivered from being spread so thinly around his waist. But his praise spurred you on.

 “Look at you, taking my cock so well, we’re halfway now, just relax.”

 Hold up.

 You pulled back from his shoulder and looked down. Bitch, he’s not going to fit. He must’ve seen the expression of horror on your face, because he smiled, lips smug, eyes like an inferno as he chided you.

“I thought you said you can handle anything.”

 You can. So, you ground yourself a little further down, feeling how his silken cock filled your so completely.

 “That’s it, keep going beautiful.”

 The tip of his cock tapped your cervix, and your eyes almost rolled into another dimension. You stayed like that for a minute, then two. Kirishima felt how your walls clenched around him, wanting to swallow all of him, more than you physically could. Your forehead rested against his shoulder, his arms around your waist, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. 

He began to bounce you. The pressure in your womb climbed up, coming out in short ragged breaths against his chest. You were like his little plaything, controlled by his hands alone. You whimpered, feeling fire and ice pour into you from his palms and his cock; opposite ends of a spectrum meeting in the middle to explode sinfully in your body. Your fingers clawed at his body, massaging his back, his waist, before it found that gap between your bodies and pressed against your clit.

You’ve been so good at hiding your moans. Until now. The whimpers left your throat desperately. You clenched around him, pulled him in deeper, tighter, and he spiralled into you --no, he twisted you. He’d found his footing on the floor, and spun you both around so that your back pressed into the table and he could now fuck you with more power, more leverage, with his entire body. Fingers clamped around your jaw, two pushed inside to shut you up, the other massaged a breast, your nipples, tugging and pulling until you were biting those sinful fingers.

He thrusted into you, hips snapping, breaking your inner walls down so your emotions broke free into the room. It filled with energy so raw, so powerful. You had no idea where your hands were. At some point, they were in your hair, then his forearms, gripping them so fiercely, even he thought he’d snap. Your practised fingers could leave bruises on most men. But not Kirishima. His cock hit that perfect spot inside you each and every fucking time. You sucked down his digits, somehow you were not done being filled, but you were close, so so close.

 “Red Riot,” you mumbled around his fingers, all thoughts had already cleared out of your head, but he seemed to understand. The hand that massaged your breast flicked tight, quick circles against your throbbing clit. His pounding was getting sloppy, mistimed, and you broke down in pieces. A part of your soul escaped, latched onto his as you both died a small death. Yours unseen, black and ascending to the heavens, while his left warm, wet traces across your stomach.

 His fat cock throbbed as it rested against your mound, spent, once more soft. His fingers slipped from your slack jaw, his head bowed forward as both your chests heaved from the exertion.

 “Wow,” you managed to say after several seconds, your high subsiding into a gentle hum. Then, what you just did hit you like a train, your torso shooting up, cum dribbling down onto the table and between your legs. You fucked a Pro-Hero at work. A smile split your face in two.

 And honestly? No regrets.

-----

:| idek what this was lmao. @joyousandverywarlike since you want to be on my permanent tag list and I love you x

[imo-chan-imagines]

『 Waking up and finding you on your period | FKBU Headcanons 』

Characters: female!reader, Kambe Daisuke, Kato Haru

Tags/warnings: Fugou Keiji Balance: Unlimited (anime), 15+, mild sexual references, fluff, so much fluff, teensy bit of a daddy kink implied for Daisuke, bit of breeding link implied for Haru *COUGH*

⚠️ 15+ CONTENT! MINORS: PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT ⚠️

A/N: Guess who came on her period and was in dire need of some comfort from her best boys? That's right. Me. So I freaking wrote it. Here you go.

Despite the tags, it's like, 95% fluff, and even the sex is fluffy, and it's not even described. This is just pure wholesomeness. Thanks for reading! Please enjoy! Imo~

Kambe Daisuke

At first, when Daisuke sees the blood in the bed, he thinks you might be injured and worriedly wakes you up, asking if you're hurt with his hair down because he's been sleeping

As you wake, you feel the crushing pangs in your abdomen and shake your head

"That's not is," you say, embarrassed about the amount of blood staining the sheets

"I see," he says, deducing that you must have got your period in the night

He sounds as calm as ever, but he's actually genuinely relieved you haven't injured yourself

But he can see that you're in pain and he hates it serious daddy vibes

He carefully picks you up and carries you to the ensuite bathroom princess style, baby

"I'm sorry," you whimper into his chest

"There is nothing to be sorry for," he says firmly

His voice rumbles in your ears that deep, sultry voice, omg

When you reluctantly ask him if he's grossed out, he gives you a blank look

"Why should I be?" he asks. "It's perfectly natural."

"Yeah, but…"

He senses that you've experienced unpleasant situations with boyfriends in the past and can't help but feel fiercely protective and angered that they hurt you like that

"Any man who is 'grossed out' – as you put it – by something like this," he continues, entirely seriously, "does not deserve to be called a man."

He sits with you and helps you clean yourself as he draws the bath for you, having got his servants to fetch pain killers, sanitary products, and clear up the mess in the bedroom

You keep apologising for ruining the incredibly expensive, luxury bedding like so expensive, you want to die

But Daisuke keeps telling you not to worry about it, insisting that it can easily be replaced

He's literally already got HEUSC to order some new stuff

After you're clean, he helps you into the bath and gets in with you, sitting you between his legs, his arms around your body, and pulls you back against his chest

He insists you use all your favourite scents and products, planting little kisses on your neck and shoulders as he caresses the bubbles over your skin

He helps you get dressed into some of his comfy, oversized clothes and sits you down on the sofa he bought some after he wore Haru's, lmao

Come to the comfy side, we have hot guys

You grab hold of the back of his shirt when he turns to leave

When you ask him to stay with you, he immediately has tells HEUSC to clear his schedule for the day, calling in sick for work so he can do just that he must look after his princess

He can never say no to you

Hoodies and sweatpants all round

He has his chef make all your favourite foods and orders in whatever chocolates and treats you want

He even purchases a giant, expensive teddy with same-day delivery when you showed even the slightest interest in it we're talking a 2 metre plus bear, here

You spend the day curled up next to him in a cosy room, watching whatever movies, TV shows, K dramas, etc. you want

He probably has a cinema room in his house, okay? Don't @ me

Lots of cuddles and spooning hnng

He ignores any sexual urges he gets if he knows you're not in the mood

When you say you want a massage, he immediately goes to get HEUSC to call his private masseuse

When you ask him to do it instead, he's caught off guard and doesn't really have any idea what to do

He's hesitant and nervous, worried he might hurt you

But he eventually gets the idea, and feels proud of himself when you say it's helped relieve your cramps a little

Lots of hair stroking and back rubs

While you're asleep on his lap, he researches into dealing with period pain

He hates that his money can't buy you out of your pain entirely, but he's going to do the absolute best he can this sweet man, I can't

He makes sure he orders all sorts of high quality products, like super expensive heat pads, magnets, the best quality pads and tampons etc. so he's properly prepared next time best boy

While looking this stuff up, he reads that orgasms and sometimes even penetrative sex can help relieve cramps and pain, and immediately starts looking up how to go about it

When you wake up, he gets you some water and goes to ask you about what he read, but ends up a little too shy to, and vows to himself to bring it up next time

Which he does and it's adorable and hot at the same time??

And he really goes all out, focusing on you completely

You're glowing afterwards as you come down from your high, and he rests his forehead on yours

I'm dying, this is so cute. Why can't this be real?!?

Kato Haru

You wake up first, feeling your stomach sink at the all too familiar sensation of blood between your legs

You nervously turn to Haru and wake him up, but can't manage to get the words out

Haru knows exactly what's happened as soon as he sees it

He gives you a hug and a kiss and tells you it's okay, and to get out of the bed

He fetches you pain killers and hurries out to the convenience store to buy any other products you need

A range of different pads, tampons, a hot water bottle, more over-the-counter pain killers and medication, chocolate it's necessary, okay? Haru knows what's up

It's dishearteningly early in the morning and still dark out brave boy, best boy

He returns with the items as quickly as possible, smelling of a fresh, crisp morning, still panting a little from hurrying to get back to you I freaking can't, it's too cute

He starts cleaning the sheets as best he can, soaking them in the tub while you clean yourself up in the bathroom

He also prepares a quick meal or two for you in advance because he knows you'll feel too awful to do anything yourself today he's so knowledgeable and practical

#boyfriend material

Lots of small smiles, hugs, and forehead kisses to remind you that he's not mad, because he knows you're worrying about it

When you're all clean and the bedding is changed, he puts you back to bed with a hot water bottle and a blanket, kissing your forehead

He has to get ready for work

You want him to stay, but you know how strong his sense of duty is, and don't want to put him in the position where he has to choose

He kisses you softly before he leaves, saying he'll call you later on his break

You spend the whole day missing him while enjoying the food he lovingly prepared

You wait with your phone by you, watching the clock

When he calls and you hear his voice come though on the other end of the line, you sink under a wave of relief and finally start to relax

He asks you how you are, if you've been eating, tells you to eat that particular food you always leave, because it's good for you, damn it, and reminds you where things are in case you might need them, etc.

He says he loves you soft boi

You can hear Kamei in the background, poking fun at Haru – who pointedly reminds him who has a girlfriend and who doesn't rip Kamei

Daisuke's voice briefly drifts down the line, and Haru says he has to go

He says he loves you again, and you say it back

When he hangs up, it's suddenly very empty in the apartment

You hug a pillow all afternoon in place of him

It's late when he gets back, laden with groceries, the ingredients for your favourite meal, and a bouquet of small, pretty-looking flowers from the supermarket

You're immediately feeling better now that he's home, getting some colour back in your cheeks

You watch him cook up a storm in the kitchen he's so hot when he cooks, I can't

You always love his food, but it tastes so much better now that he's with you

After eating, you curl up together and watch TV

Lots of goofy grins and raspberries on your neck and tummy – anything to make you laugh and smile again

When you finally laugh, he leans in and says, "There it is."

Spooning yes, both of them

I like spooning, shut up

He can't help but get hard, and he apologises bashfully when you notice

You tell him it's okay wink wonk

He grins

"You know, I think I have a remedy for this affliction of yours," he says, nuzzling your neck with his nose

"Oh yeah? What's that?" you ask sceptically, sensing something mischievous is afoot

"I could always put a baby in you, free of charge," he says, only half joking as he nibbles on your earlobe getting steamyyy

"Babe, we're broke," you say, breaking out into a giggle

But you get down to it anyway because he freaking loves you and knows that you needs to be reminded of it right now

© imo-chan-imagines 2020

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Beast Mode {One Shot}***

Florian Munteanu x Reader

Words: 3.5k

Warning: Cursing, NSFW AT ALL, SMUTTTTTY, DO NOT READ AT WORK 

Summary: You’re in a relationship with Florian who has come to the end of his training period in prep for his long-anticipated and publicized match with “Elias “Cutthroat” Morales. The two of you haven’t seen each other in three months because of his trainer’s brutal training practices. You fly in a few hours before the match to wish him luck.

Note: I’ve said this before, I am terrified of this man but here we are. I don't know what that/this says about me but oh well.  This was not asked for at all. SMH

**I have never written Florian, I have no idea about his mannerisms, body language or personality. I am writing this because I cannot stop thinking about it and it is driving me nuts. So, excuse me if this does not fit him exactly. I hope you enjoy the terrifying ride. As always, thank you for reading!!!!

**Image not my own

 ***Not Edited/proofread***

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What training would restrict visits from his girlfriend for three months? His trainer. No matter how much he’d protested, begged and bargained he was not budging.

 “No visits until fight night. You need to stay objective and vicious.”

 It was logical but he missed the hell out of you. FaceTime calls were not cutting it anymore, especially when he saw your posts on social media. As an influencer, it was your job to play everything up but from what you posted it looked like he was out of sight and out of mind. It didn’t help matters the comments he’d read under your pictures. They were all from thirsty dudes who loved using their internet fingers to make it seem like they were big and bad. Little did they know he was big and nasty. He’d easily break every bone in their body over you. There was no limit to his possessiveness.

 “Focus!”

 The drill Sergeant like sound of his trainer’s voice snapped him right back to reality. He zeroed in on his sparring partner and bobbed and weaved around the ring evading punches and firing them right back. He’d trained like a beast for the last six months. The last three he’d been pushed past the brink of sanity. He was now so ready for this match that all he saw was him standing victorious covered in his opponent’s blood. Was it vicious? Yeah. Did he care? Nope.

 “Good. Yes! Don’t give him a chance to recover. Yes! Always in kill mode.”

He did one of his fancy moves spun behind his opponent then hammered his sides with everything he had. As they turned to him, he then delivered the final blow, a jaw crushing right hook. Everyone around him cheered and clapped. He ripped the gloves off his hands and checked on the guy he’d just knocked out. The doctors gave him a reassuring look to tell him he’d be fine. Taking their word for it he slipped out the ring and made it over to his trainer who had a pleased look on his face.

 “Morales has no idea what’s in store for him. You’ve shaved off eighteen seconds off of your recovery time, added a full twelve minutes to your stamina, you’re faster than I’ve ever seen you and not to mention that mean in you is at the right level to blow. This match is yours.”

 He felt it too. He felt like he was in the best physical shape of his life. He was focused and had his eye on the prize. The only thing missing was you.

 “Hit the showers, get back to the hotel and I’ll send over the massage therapist to loosen up those muscles and have a good meal. Tomorrow you go from sixty-eight and ten to sixty-nine and ten!”

 As he packed up his bag he nodded he liked the sound of that. Deciding to just grab a shower at the hotel he ducked into his waiting car and stretched out in the backseat. He was ready for a little break. At the thought of that, he thought of you. he took out his phone and found your contact to see your recent message from last night, a picture of yourself cuddled in the bed of the house you shared together. He could tell you weren’t wearing anything and every muscle in his body flexed aggressively.

 “Push it away, focus,” he chanted to himself. It was a chant whenever he felt biology taking over. He was but a man.

 MSG: I’m sorry I missed this last night. I had to be up for my last practice. Don’t be mad.

 A few minutes passed before a response came in.

 MSG Y/N: It’s okay. I get it, Big Nasty has to be aggressive, be be aggressive.

 He snorted.

 MSG: Really?

MSG Y/N: I’m your biggest cheerleader babe. I miss you.

 Your words felt good to know. Usually, when he went into disappear training mode your relationship struggled. You wanted him around to share everyday things with, to be with but he wasn’t anywhere there. You said sometimes you felt like you were single and hated it but maybe you should go act like it too. It was the root of many arguments between the two of you, but neither of you ever let go.

 MSG: I miss you so fucking much it’s insane.

MSG Y/N: How much?

MSG: I can’t even use words.

MSG Y/N: Then what would you use to show me?

 Again, his muscles tensed and all he could think about was showing you how much he missed you. In seconds he was hard.

  “Fuck!”

 He resisted the urge to palm his length and tried to focus on his breathing.

 MSG: Chill, babe. I’m already hard.

MSG Y/N: Really? Show me. Please. I haven’t seen a dick in months.

 He could hear the whine in your words. He couldn’t believe he was doing this, but he did it anyway. Slipping his sweats a few inches lower he allowed his hardness to flop out. He was getting harder. He took a picture of himself and sent it to you.

 MSG Y/N: Damn baby. It’s beautiful. I miss it so much.

MSG: He misses you.

 A groan escaped him and showed him how close he was to losing himself. Slipping his meat back inside his sweats he sat up and worked to shrug off the arousal you’d brought on him.

 MSG: When this is done let’s take a trip. Anywhere you wanna go.

MSG Y/N: Okay. Let’s do it.

 You were always down to indulge his love of traveling. He worked hard and took a lot for the job and liked to unwind just as hard. As he approached the hotel he let you know his intentions for the night before ending your conversation.

 When he made it up to his room he wasted no time getting in the shower and letting the hot water work magic on his muscles. You were still on his mind and made it even more difficult to get through without touching himself. He caught himself three times. The first he didn’t even realize it until he grunted out your name. He looked down to find his cock in his hand. The second time he caught himself before he gripped his length and the third he stopped the thought.

 He didn’t know what the hell had come over him, but he had better find a way to get a grip especially this close to the match. His coach and trainer were both unanimously against any sort of pleasure while training and before a match. They didn’t care about the toll it took on his relationship, they cared about the end goal. He’d done this before and each time you were a trooper with accepting it, but this felt different. This time was harder for you, harder for him too.

 When he got out of the shower his meal was waiting. He settled in front of the tv and watched videos of Elias Morales fight. This was his pre-match routine the biggest plate of pasta and studying his opponent. You didn’t have a record like his by just floating through matches. He was meticulous if nothing else, he trained, plotted, and prepared then executed.

 An hour later he got a message letting him know his massage therapist would be there soon. Pausing the latest video, he stripped down and went over to the massage table and laid there waiting. As he waited he continued the video. He was so focused on it he didn’t hear when the masseuse entered. It was only when he saw her feet it registered.

 “I think deep Swedish should work tonight,” he suggested. She didn’t answer. He was about to turn around when he felt the hot oil drip across his back. The next thing he felt were small hands begin their work of rubbing him down and kneading out knots.

 Every night this week there had been a different masseuse, a different one he had to tell just what he liked. As he was about to open his mouth to let her know he liked some pressure along his spine but not at the tail of his spine she beat him to it by doing just that. A long moan slipped from him, it felt good. The masseuse continued her work and expertly kneaded his back muscles with the right amount of pressure and the right alternating techniques. It was like they knew just what he liked. Small hands went lower to his waist and gently massaged him there. The next place he felt her hands were his calves, she squeezed as her hands slid down to his ankles.

 “God yes!” His body was quickly relaxing.

 Thirty minutes more found him completely relaxed with muscles that didn’t hold an ounce of tension in them.

 “Turn.” Not paying attention he flipped over to find a hot towel drop across his face.

 “Breathe it in, eucalyptus, rose, lavender, coconut oil, and lemon. The right recipe for relaxation and optimal pore health.” He laid there and inhaled the aromas coming from the towel and found himself relaxing even more. This was almost just what he needed. It would have to do.

 The same small hands began rubbing his chest down spending focus on his pec muscles before slowly gliding over his abs. This is where the hands slowed even more. There was no massage patterns to her movements now. When he began to move to take the towel off she moved her hands to his thighs and forcefully massages into them. It was enough to throw him off. Another twenty minutes passed before he heard a feminine moan in the air, a moan that did not belong to him. Quickly he ripped the towel off his face and sat up to see you standing beside him.

 “Y/N?”

 “Surprise!” Seconds passed before he pulled you into his arms and hugged you.

 “Oh my god, what’re you doing here?”

 “I missed you like really missed you. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow night. I needed to see you, baby.” He smiled and pulled her back into his arms. He felt the same way.

 “I missed you too. Shit, this one was worse than all the others before,” he expressed as you pressed your forehead to his.

 “It was. I hate this, but I love you so much.” Your lips met for a sweet peck, but one peck turned to two and three and before either of you knew it you were full-on making out. You moaned on his mouth and his hardness instantly returned with a vengeance. You bit his bottom lip and softly raked your nails up and down his back.

 “Don’t do that babe, please.”

 “I’m sorry.”

 “If Hugo found you here he’d be so pissed.”

 “I don’t care. I’ve followed every rule for two years. I’ve never protested. I’m protesting now. I want to see my man.” He smiled, he loved hearing you call him that. When you introduced him he always felt cocky when you called him your man. He didn’t know why.

 “You’ve been a good girl,” he said as he stroked your hair down your back.

 “I’ve been such a good girl, baby. What do I get as a reward?”

 A smile spread across his face and every nasty thing flashed through his head.

 “What do you want, love?”

 You tipped your tongue out and licked across his lips then softly nibbled his bottom lip all while staring in his eyes.

 “You. I want you, baby. I always want you—just you.”

 He didn’t need to hear anything else. He crashed his lips to yours and took control of the kiss. He only intended for it to be a kiss, only intended for it to go so far. After a few minutes, he stood and lifted you into his arms. When you wrapped your legs around his waist his body made the decisions from then on. He turned and dropped you onto the massage table and quickly pulled off the dress you wore. He lost it when he realized you had on his favorite colored lace.

 “Fuck!”

 You spread your legs wider and bit your bottom lip. You were giving him access and permission. He couldn’t think, any possibility for logical thought was gone. He kissed you briefly then dropped his lips to your neck and sucked and teased the skin there. He knew you liked when he did it. You smelled incredible, a scent he hadn’t smelled in months, a scent that was making it impossible to control himself. His lips moved lower over your skin and latched onto your lace-clad breast. He sucked and bit your nipple through the material and enjoyed every mewl that fell from you.

 When your hands hugged his head to you he sucked more forcefully.

 “Yes baby. Oh god yes.”

 He wrestled with the hooks of your bra and normally this would have been an easy task, but right now he didn’t have the patience it required. Gripping the material, he pulled it apart popping the clasps but freeing your breasts. He cupped them in his hands and feasted on each pert nipple for several long minutes. When he crouched between your legs he pulled your ass to the edge and stared at you.

 “Don’t stop baby, please. Put your name on it.”

 He growled out and grabbed a fistful of your underwear and ripped it clear off of you. Your moan of approval sent him over the edge of control. His lips connected with your sex and sucked. His intention was not to go slow, not to tease and not to waste any time. He needed this and he knew you did too. He slurped and devoured your flesh and relished in the unique taste of you. He’d missed your taste, missed the sounds you made when he did just what he knew would drive you crazy, missed how you reacted to him like a flame. At the root of it, he missed you. Your screamed signaled your orgasm. He was pleased you’d found your first release, but he had plans for many more.

 He stood but before he could sheath himself you slipped off the massage table and to your knees. You pulled the towel from around his waist and came eye to eye with what you wanted. The look on your face spoke of how ravenous you were. You lowered your mouth over his length and took him fully into your mouth as far as he could go. He growled out again and held your head in place. His hips moved thrusting in and out of your mouth slowly at first but when goosebumps broke out across his skin he sped up. soon you were gagging and slurping with every snap of his hips. You were always good at swallowing every inch of him. Before he lost it he pulled you up and threw you over the table with your ass poking out to him.

 They say the first touch is the sweetest but for him, the first feel of you around him was almost too much for him. He hovered over your back and letting the shake go through him. With each inch he slipped inside of you, you clenched around him. With a few more inches to go, he slammed into you making you scream out.

 “Fuck Flo!” Your body shook through its second release. He was just getting started.

 From the start he set the only pace he could, the only pace his body could tolerate—fast. He slammed into you with bruising thrusts that had purpose. He had to remind you who was daddy, and who truly owned this pussy.

 “Fuck Y/N, you’re so fucking tight. Yes! This pussy missed daddy?” You nodded but he wanted to hear the words.

 “Tell me. Did my pussy miss me?”

 “Fuck, yes, it missed you, daddy. It missed you so much.” He pushed your head lower with one hand and gripped your hip with the other then jackhammered into you. your screams were loud, but soon they turned raspy and desperate. You were always the only one that could take all of him. The only one who came close to crippling him with pleasure.

 He grabbed your thighs and twisted you around, so you laid on your back with your thighs spread wide. God, he loved this view. He pulled out and sucked on your clit for a few moments before he tasted you as you came right in his mouth. You wrapped your thighs around his head and rode the wave of your third orgasm. When he tried to untangle himself, you weren’t having it. He almost laughed, you wanted to get rough. Forcefully he obliged, pulling your legs open, pressing them back to the table. He lined up his throbbing cock with your core and locked eyes with you. From the look in your eyes, he knew you knew what he intended to do.

 “Whose pussy is this Y/N?”

 “Yours baby.”

 “Whose?”

 “Yours daddy. Fuck this pussy—own this pussy.”

He snapped his hips forward and connected your bodies to the hilt. He could feel every inch of you inside and the way your eyes rolled to the back of your head you loved it. From the pace and force of his thrusts, the massage table shook as if it were on its last legs. He didn’t care. He was voracious.

 “This pussy is mine, mine, mine, mine!” his only focus was finding that release, he knew he’d taken care of you. Changing the angle, he held you, he turned you to your side and held your leg in the air but continued plowing into you.

 He wanted to come so bad, but he couldn’t. It was something he’d experienced before. He was so backed up that physically and psychologically he wasn’t in sync. It was normal for training and competing and normal for the first few weeks after. He held tightly to you and held you in the air and continued pumping into you.

 “Shit, shit!”

 “How does this dick feel baby?”

 “So fucking good.”

 You kissed him and began bouncing on him using his body as the anchor. He groaned and leaned against whatever he found close by and allowed you to fuck him. His moans and grunts fell from him one after the other and he didn’t care if you knew just what you were doing to him. It was never a secret. After a few minutes, he rose his hips up meeting you halfway.

 “Oh my god! I’m gonna come, baby, I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming!” He loved hearing those words. Using both hands he held you still and plowed into you and chased the release he’d denied himself for six months. The closer he got the louder he was, the louder he was the harder he fucked you. It was all a chain reaction that fueled and fed you both.

 In a matter of minutes, he was having tunnel vision and knew he was close. He turned and pressed you against what he thought was a wall but was really one of the floor to ceiling windows. He didn’t care enough to stop. You helped him and rode onto him as he thrusted. It didn’t take long before you came again and pulled his long overdue orgasm from him. He shouted loudly as he came and filled you up with every last drop of the love he’d been saving for you.

 A few minutes later when you both had come down a little from your release, he realized though he’d come he was still rock hard. He needed more. When you realized it, your eyes filled with excitement and a hint of tease.

 “Can you take what you’ve unleashed?”

 “I can take this dick anytime, anywhere, for however long daddy.” His smile was wide. He didn’t expect anything less from you.

 “You’re daddy’s nasty girl. Let’s see if you remember how nasty daddy likes it.”

 “Beast mode daddy?”

 “Make sure you can take it.” You didn’t answer, instead, you kissed him and clenched around him giving the only answer he needed. It was going to be a long night.

TagList:

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[clotpolesonly]

first line game

tagged by @shealwaysreads!!! this one’s always fun, though it’s gonna remind me of how little i’ve actually written in the last year #rip

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

from most recent, backwards:

1) A Regular Troy Bolton (Teen Wolf, Steter, 500w)

The Hale Vault was musty enough that even a day of vigorous “spring cleaning” wasn’t gonna make much difference, but Stiles let Peter drag him into it anyway.

2) Love Is Blind And So Is Stiles (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 1.6k)

Stiles is an idiot.

3) Take Me Out (Then Bring Me Home) (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 524w)

“We’re going to that rooftop place downtown tonight. “

4) He'll Take One To Go (Teen Wolf, Steo, 500w)

Stiles doesn’t like assholes, okay?

5) Hey, Stranger (Teen Wolf, Starrish, 500w)

The jeep crapped out halfway through town, because of course it did.

6) Don't Care Where This Road Goes (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 17.9k)

Derek dumped his duffel bag in the trunk of the rental car, slammed it closed, and ignored the smirk on Braeden’s face.

7) There'll Be A Future Down The Road (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 6.8k)

This might be bad.

8) Tripping Over Your History (Teen Wolf, Stiles & Theo, 3.4k)

Stiles had not expected to do so much running today.

9) Fall Into Me (I'll Catch You) (Teen Wolf, Laura & Jackson, 1.3k)

“This is fucking stupid.”

10) The Freakiest Friday (Teen Wolf, Sterek & Laura, 865w)

Derek yawned and sleepily poked at the coffeemaker until it did what it was supposed to do.

11) Say A Prayer (Bury My Name) (Teen Wolf, Laura, 612w)

Laura chokes on dirt.

12) The Soulmate Situation (Teen Wolf, Laura & Jackson, 1.9k)

Jackson was not used to this many people in one room.

13) Bend Until You Break (Teen Wolf, Derek & Laura, 689w)

“A midnight curfew?” Derek asked, disdain dripping from his tone.

14) Forward Motion (Always Leads You Home) (Teen Wolf, Derek & Laura & Cora, 900w)

It was a few months before things were quiet enough for them to do this.

15) Now The Wheel Has Turned Around (Teen Wolf, Laura & Peter, 1.8k)

“Yeah, well, he’s not here either.”

16) Asked and Answered (Teen Wolf, Scott & Laura, 1.4k)

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

17) It's a Long Way Home (When You're On Your Own) (Teen Wolf, Sceo, 4.9k)

Scott pulled his bike into the filling station and kicked down the stand.

18) Curtain Up (Thank You, Five) (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 1.9k)

“Patch! I need a patch!”

19) Hold Me Down (Just, Again) (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 966w)

Stiles traced a finger along the taut line of Derek’s shoulders, brushing over the nape of his neck.

20) Brahm's Babble (Teen Wolf, Sterek, 500w)

Stiles wriggles under the masseuse’s strong hands.

i really don’t know that there’s any pattern to be found here?? there’s a decent mix of longer vs shorter, and of narration vs dialogue. mostly i’m just noticing that my fics have been getting shorter and shorter over the last year and a half. but it’s always fun to take a stroll down memory lane cuz i legit forgot i wrote some of these lmao XD

tagging: @demonzdust @nyxelestia @mad-madam-m @thedaughterofkings @p1013 @shealwaysreads @luulapants @softangst 

[longroadstonowhere]

this is it

the final chapter of wild child

six and a half years ago, i wrote a little story with an open ending, and i thought well, maybe i’ll come back to this, who knows - i was just starting to get back into writing again, after taking several years off because nothing really inspired me to write

and then there was homestuck, and there were friends to encourage my writing, and after a while i thought, well, why not try continuing that seed of a story

six years ago this saturday, i published the second of what i thought would be six or eight chapters at most - clearly that estimate was completely wrong, haha - but i’m glad i continued this, because i’m proud of what i’ve done here

to everyone who’s read any part of this story, thank you

(1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 ao3)

Paul collapsed on the couch. John had stormed off through the front door after Jade had made her escape, and he couldn't blame either of them.Probably one of my worst parenting moments to date, he berated himself. Honestly I can't imagine how much worse I could have done.

Roxy settled on the couch next to him and stroked his back. "Well, that was a little bit of a shitstorm."

"Doctor!" Paul raised his head and looked at the stairs. "Your daughter -"

"Left to go find the others. They'll be fine." She sat back, tapping her hands against her thighs. Suddenly, she stood and made her way to the kitchen. "I'm going to get myself something to drink. Would you like some?"

He frowned. Early in the day for that, isn't it? He didn't voice his thought, though, just a simple "No thank you." Rubbing at his temple, he continued, "Really feel like I need to smoke, though."

She hummed in acknowledgement as she clattered around the kitchen. He heard something being poured into a glass, a pause, and then liquid splashing down the drain. He turned his head and saw the doctor filling two glasses with water. Coming back around the couch, she handed him one glass and held the other out. "To curbing vices," she proposed, with a facetious twist to her mouth.

With a matching half-smile, he tapped her glass and took a long sip. Swirling the water a little, he said mournfully, "I don't think John's ever been this angry with me, and I can't blame him. Every choice I made in this matter was the absolute worst choice I could have made. I can't expect him or Jade to ever trust me again."

"Well..." Roxy said thoughtfully. "It might be true that you could've handled things differently and it might have turned out better, but that's impossible to know for sure. Unless you have secret time travel powers?" she teased. Paul snorted out a little laugh despite himself. "No? That's sad, I could've used a new project at work. As for their trust..." Here she sighed. "I'll be honest - I've done my best for Rose, but I've done plenty I'm not proud of, either. Somehow, in spite of all my fuck-ups, she still loves me. I don't know how much she trusts me, but..." She shrugged helplessly. "All children discover their parents are human eventually. We can only hope they still love us when they get through to the other side."

Paul considered that for a moment. "I suppose... I just hoped that day wouldn't come so soon."

Roxy patted his shoulder in consolation. "From what I've seen, you've done a good job with both of them. With a little time, they'll come around."

John stomped away from their house, no goal in sight except just getting away. Dad is such an asshole! he fumed. I can't believe he kept this a secret from us for so long! I was so excited to show Jade what high school is like, and she knows the librarians so well, and what does any of it fucking matter?!? His feet kept pushing along with no interference from his brain, until he found himself near a small ostentatious building near the edge of the clearing that had been made around Rose's house. He didn't really notice the building, though. He was still too focused on mentally ripping his dad a new one. Tired of wandering at random, though, he started going around and around the little structure in a neverending circle.

"John?" Rose's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She stood some distance away, her arms crossed and one eyebrow quirked upwards. "Are you attempting to create a moat of some sort with your feet alone? I'd admire your perseverance and admittedly misguided ambition if that were the case - but I must inform you we don't often find ourselves under siege, and if we were this building would not be worth any particular attention."

"Oh, uh..." John shuffled his feet, a little embarrassed and still kinda angry at his dad. He didn't really want to unload any of that on Rose, though. "What is this thing, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen a building with pillars outside of like, City Hall."

"Well," Rose stepped forward, her hands moving to clasp behind her back, "this edifice began its life as a mausoleum for my former pet Jaspers. When he passed, my mother had this building constructed to give his mortal flesh a worthy final resting place." She smiled a little. "Then, after some self-reflection and a strongly worded letter from one of my teachers, she decided that was a little fucked up and decided to give Jaspers a more traditional burial for a simple pet - a shoebox buried beneath the flowers. Now we use this thing as a gardening shed."

"Huh. That's... really weird actually."

"That is but the tip of the weirdness manifesting itself as my mother," Rose said. "However, while I could continue to overshare emotionally scarring anecdotes from my past, I think I would serve better as an open ear than an open mouth. So," she carefully settled herself on the grass near the bizarre mausoleum-shed, "have a seat and let's, as the youths say, rap about your feelings."

John snorted without really meaning to. "You sound like a forty six year old woman trapped in a teenager's body saying that."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean by that, young man," Rose stated primly. She patted the grass beside her. "I must insist on the sitting, though. I'll strain my neck if you continue to stand while we talk, and it is simply impossible to find a good masseuse in this neck of the woods."

"Well, I wouldn't want to do something ungentlemanly like cause you grievous bodily harm," John joked as he sprawled next to Rose, his legs stretched in front of him. Once he was sitting, though, he had no idea what to say next. Rose had helped bleed some of his anger away by distracting him, but he could still feel it boiling away in his heart. "I dunno if there's much for me to say. My dad's a jerk and Jade's gonna have to leave, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Rose tilted her head slightly, like she was accepting what John said without agreeing with it. "I'm not so sure that last statement is true, but we can circle back to that. Let's talk to your father first. Does he often spring news on you like this?"

"... No. He usually tells me stuff way before it matters. He always says he wants to give me space to get used to something new, but this is like one of the hugest things that could ever happen and he just drops it all at once?" John exhaled in disgust and fell backwards, his arms stretched out above his head. "I'm already fucked up about high school and growing up, why does this have to change too?"

Rose sighed. "Change can truly be a brutal taskmaster, one with no mercy or compassion for those swept along in its wake. But, well..." Rose paused for a long time, long enough that John wondered if she was done talking entirely. He didn't feel the need to fill the silence for once, though - it felt weirdly okay to just let time pass. He watched a few wisps of cloud slowly drift across the sky. Finally Rose started to speak again. "Honestly, I generally find change to be a shitty joke played on the unprepared fools we all are, but sometimes it can be an unexpected boon. For example," she turned and gave John a surprisingly genuine smile, "though I've only known you a short time, I find both you and Jade to be quite pleasurable additions to my life, an outcome I'd certainly never have predicted in advance. So, even if all the events leading up to our meeting have been exceedingly shitty, I would deem the end result quite satisfactory."

John took a few seconds to process all those words before snorting in laughter. "Wow, that's one of the dorkiest ways I've ever heard someone say 'Let's be friends!', ahahahahaha!" He curled in on his stomach, unable to stop laughing.

Rose sniffed in disapproval. "Such boorish antics... truly it is a mystery how you have ever befriended anyone. 'Tis a riddle I should have to devote my life to unraveling, if I were so inclined to such an activity." Her words sounded kinda mean, but she didn't make any moves like she was going to walk off and just leave him there. And she'd come out to find him after he'd stormed off, which said a lot more than her words did.

Well, maybe not a lot more... John thought, considering how many words Rose generally said. But it does mean a lot, at least. John sat back up and smiled at Rose. "Thanks. I guess I kinda needed that."

She nodded graciously. "My pleasure. I've found something of a fascination for delving into the psychological depths of those around me, so it is gratifying to find a material beneficial output for my knowledge."

"Uh, sure, okay." That sounded kind of like 'you're welcome', if he didn't think about it too hard. John stood and dusted bits of grass off his shorts. Looking at the house, though, he wasn't ready to see his dad again yet. Besides, he had something very important to do. "So, where do you think the tallest tree is around here?"

Jade swung her feet in the air, her eyes sweeping over the unfamiliar horizon. Off the island for months and I still run for a tree when something's wrong, she berated herself. Growing up, climbing trees had been both fun and beneficial, since it gave her the best view of her surroundings, letting her scope out unplundered plants or useful scrap that drifted onto the beach.

Trees had also helped her escape from the beasts that had grown bold after her grandpa's death, animals that Bec could take on one at a time but could easily overwhelm him with numbers. Most of the ones who were chasing her for food couldn't climb, though, so the higher she went, the safer she was.

There weren't any beasts like that here, though - nothing that would kill her, tear her to shreds for a decent meal. She was safe here, probably the safest she'd been in her entire life.

And yet she still ran.

I'm better than this, she thought angrily. I've been around people all the time, and I didn't hurt Rob at all when he tried to fight me, and... Ugh!She fell backwards, hanging off the branch upside down. I can't believe how dumb I'm being about all this!

She sat like that for a while, letting the blood rush to her head until it started to hurt. She let it pound away, the pulsing in her head matching her anger at herself. It got so loud that she almost missed Bec's quiet warning bark - no danger but he saw something that needed her attention.

Straining, she looked down at the ground upside down and could see John at the bottom of the tree approaching Bec carefully. He stopped a few feet short and held his hand out to the dog, who padded forward and let John scratch between his ears. His light laughter drifted up the tree towards her. He gave Bec one last big scritch and looked up the tree at Jade. "Hi Jade! Cold you come down a couple branches? I wanna talk but I don't really want to shout, and these trees are harder to climb than the ones back home."

Home. That word hurt more than she thought it would. She'd gotten over the idea of having a home to belong to years ago, right? Home was about people, after all - that's what her stories had said, and all she had was Bec.

John stood quietly at the bottom of the tree, but he was shifting his weight back and forth, like he was trying to decide if he should leave or not. Finally he tightened his fists and nodded to himself before approaching the tree. He jumped and just barely caught one of the lowest branches, pulling himself up until he could straddle it. Balancing against the tree trunk, he slowly stood up on the branch and looked for the next one. He eyed one just out of reach, but before he could make a jump for that one, Jade called down, "If you're gonna be stubborn, fine, I'll climb down a little." He was super bad at climbing, after all, and dealing with a broken leg or something would just make everything even worse.

Jade casually dropped down the tree until she was a few branches above John. She settled into the nexus of several branches and waited for him to say something. He was the one who wanted to talk after all.

"So..." John said as he sat on his branch again, his legs dangling in the air. "That's some shitty news, huh? Kinda wish Dad had told us earlier, but I guess there's no good time for that kind of news. It's weird to think he could mess up like that, though. Adults aren't supposed to fuck things up."

Jade pressed her back into the tree, trying not to think about what parents should or shouldn't be like. Imagining how things could go wouldn't change what was happening.

John sighed loudly. "Wow, I suck at cheering people up. Rose is way better than me at this." He shook his head vigorously and slapped his hands to his cheeks. "Okay! Here's what I really need to say!" He looked straight at Jade, locking eyes with her. "I want you to come home with me and Dad, and I don't care what anyone says about it. You're my sister, and you belong with us, and anybody who thinks differently is gonna regret it, even if they are some hotshot lawyer with... a briefcase and... and a carphone!" He scowled at the ground, one hand on his forehead. "Wow, that last part sounded stupid, just ignore that bit. The important thing is you're my family, no matter what anyone says."

Jade froze, not sure what she should do. No one had ever made her feel important like that, not since Grandpa... No, she admitted, not even Grandpa. Before she realized it, she was dropping down towards John, grabbing him in a strong embrace when she reached his level. "Whoa - !" John flailed and nearly fell off, but Jade made sure they stayed. Once they were stabilized, John hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a long time.

Bec's soft whine, followed by some scratching noises, finally convinced Jade to pull back. She looked down through surprisingly watery eyes to see Bec pawing at the trunk of the tree. "I'm fine," she told him, a smile pulling at the side of her mouth. And she was, for once. She actually was.

Beside her, John wiped a few tears out of his eyes. "Wow... now I know how Cameron Poe must have felt when he finally gave Casey that bunny," he laughed.

Jade laughed too, and shoved at him a little. "No more lame movie references, we are having a serious moment!" John was too distracted trying to stay seated on the branch to argue. Jade let the smile drop from her mouth as she gathered her thoughts. "... Do you really think they'll make me leave you guys?"

John furrowed his brow in deep thought. "Custody can be really weird sometimes. But, you know..." John trailed off, looking around at their surroundings. "If you did have to live somewhere else, this wouldn't be the worst place probably. Rose is pretty cool, in a super nerdy way, and it does look pretty."

"I guess... but... " Jade gathered her courage. "I don't want to. I want to go... home."

John wrapped one arm around her. "Okay. That's what we'll do."

John sat on the couch, doing his best not to fidget nervously and absolutely failing on all fronts. Jade lay on the floor in front of him with Bec, the pair tussling half-heartedly over one of Bec's toys that they'd brought along. Rose sat on one of the other couches, knitting a scarf or something and looking for all the world like she didn't care about anything else besides her project.

The day before, they'd all had a real long talk about strategies and feelings and everything in between. There had been more than a few manly tears shed, as well as some hugs so tight they squeezed the air out of everyone's lungs,, but at some point all they could do was wait for the lawyer to come and discuss everything with them.

The adults were with the lawyer now in Dr. Lalonde's study, discussing the dry details of Uncle Harley's will. Rose had tried to argue that all of them should be present, but Dad thought they would run out of steam if they had to listen to the minutiae, so he'd suggested the kids come in once all the boring stuff was over. On the one hand, John couldn't really blame his dad - he could barely pay attention to his teacher's lectures, and he could understand what they were talking about for the most part.

On the other hand, that left the three of them out here with nothing to do but obsess over whatever was happening in that room.

Unable to keep still any longer, John leaped to his feet and started pacing between the couches and the stairs, carefully stepping over Jade and Bec on his way. Neither girl seemed to pay him any mind, but he knew Jade at least was probably keeping an eye on him. Probably Rose too, really. They were both scarily observant of where people were at all times. They'd probably get even scarier about it if they ended up living together.

Nope nope nope! John shook his head sharply. Jade's gonna come home where she belongs, and that's that, even if I have to kidnap her. He stopped pacing, one hand coming up to cup his chin. I'd have to drive, since I don't think we could get on an airplane without some kind of adult, and also tickets would be super expensive. Driving can't be that hard, right? I should be tall enough to reach the pedals on Dad's car, and I know where he keeps his keys. Food, though...

"Um, John?" Jade's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see her kneeling on the couch, looking at him in concern. "What... are you doing?"

John laughed nervously. "Oh, I was.... planning how to kidnap you?"

Behind Jade, he could see Rose shaking with suppressed laughter. Jade half-smiled, but her heart definitely wasn't in it. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head - she was just as nervous as he was, if not more, and he had no idea how to fix that.

Jade looked down the hallway towards the study. "How much longer do you think they're gonna talk?"

John shrugged helplessly. "I guess Uncle Harley had a lot of complicated stuff in his will? He was technically like a billionaire or something, since the Betty Crocker company belonged to him." He looked down the hall as well. "They could be in there for a really long time probably."

Rose set her knitting aside and confidently stood up. "Well then, I suggest we go see how they're getting on for ourselves." She came around the couches and strode past John towards the hallway. He gave Jade a quick look before following Rose, and he could hear Jade scrambling over the couch to join them.

Outside the study, Rose kneeled in front of the door, one ear pressed close. She motioned for John to be quiet as he approached. He frowned - he wasn't stomping around like an elephant or anything, and he knew better than to give away that they were eavesdropping! As proof of such intelligence, he didn't give Rose a piece of his mind then and there. Instead, he knelt next to her, pressing his own ear against the door to try and hear what was going on. Jade stayed standing and leaned over the both of them, one hand on John's shoulder to keep her balance.

The adults were talking quietly, making it difficult to hear them through the door. Okay, so maybe Rose had a good point about being silent, he thought ruefully. He had to breathe really slowly through his mouth to be quiet enough to have any chance of understanding what they were saying.

"As you can see, Mr. Harley was quite thorough in protecting the trust for Jade." That was the lawyer's voice - they'd introduced themselves to everyone before disappearing into the study with Dad and Doctor Lalonde. "And since he tied everything about access to the trust with whoever has Jade's custody..."

There was a barely audible sigh, which John recognized as coming from his dad. "Yes, I can see why you said you needed to speak with me in person. This is far more complex than I'd even imagined." A pause, with some furniture creaking that suggested his dad was moving around in some way - leaning forward maybe? "Why was he so particular about this? He must have trusted his business partners well enough, since he left them in complete control of the company while he was... gallivanting around the world."

More furniture creaks, and Dr. Lalonde said, "Jake was never very good with people - that's why he liked exploring so much, it meant he could just leave whenever he started worrying about whether he was offending someone or what have you." She laughed a little. "I think he might've left Jade to me just because he could stand being around me for at least a week at a time."

"I'd also like to note," the lawyer said, "he didn't leave his partners completely alone while he traveled. He had access to some extraordinary technology across the years - we take cell phones and their communication abilities for granted now, but fifteen or twenty years ago that instantaneous correspondence was just barely beginning to enter the public eye. Mr. Harley's island was kitted out with a whole host of machines that allowed him to check on his company far more often than one would have expected, and he could give them instructions as well. He was more hands-on than the company would lead you to believe."

The furniture creaked again, and John's dad said, "So he was still running the company from all the way out there?" His voice was getting louder and softer - it sounded like he was pacing back and forth. "He went to all those lengths, just to avoid his business colleagues while still keeping control of his company?"

"That's Jake in a nutshell, really. He had a great deal of pride in his family's company, so he couldn't let it pass from his hands while he was alive, but he couldn't stand living in the same 'humdrum reality' as the rest of us." The doctor's voice changed a little as she said those words, and Jade gripped John's shoulder a little tighter. Guess that's her Uncle Harley impression. It must be pretty good for Jade to react like that, John thought.

"Okay..." Dad still seemed to be pacing back and forth. "So he accepted his business had to pass into other hands on his death, but he wanted to provide a good future for Jade, and so he put all his wealth into this trust fund for her. Would his business partners really try to get at his wealth through Jade? I know it's quite a bit of money but -"

The lawyer interrupted. "They already have tried, and not just his business partners. Several parties have come forward inquiring about Jade's custody since they learned of her current situation. Somehow word's gotten around that Mr. Harley's fortune will not be funneled back into the company, as so many presumed it would, and regrettably some of those who made such presumptions are much less scrupulous than one would hope."

"Yeah, Jake had good reason to make his will so strong, unfortunately," the doctor said. "With what he knew, he made the best choices possible. I just wish he'd known a little more."

"It's unfortunate that he and Mother fell out of contact," John's dad sighed. "This all could have been avoided. And you're certain there's no way to accept custody of Jade without also gaining access to this trust fund?"

"No, that was one thing Mr. Harley didn't think of," the lawyer replied. "Of course, he assumed with everything else in place that Jade would go to Doctor Lalonde here, and he knew her to be in an extremely secure financial situation. As such, and because he personally knew her, Mr. Harley was certain that Jade's money would be safe in the doctor's hands."

"Yes, I wouldn't dream of touching her money myself, outside of providing for whatever lessons she desires in the future," Dad said. "But... if I try to take full custody of Jade, those vultures circling around Uncle Harley's will would try to argue that my motivation is purely financial, won't they?"

The lawyer responded, "Yes, I think it's safe to say they would certainly challenge your claim on those grounds, considering your own situation. After all, you've been holding up admirably, but even with just the quick glance you graciously allowed me, I can see that you've been struggling on that front for some time."

"What?" John said, unable to help himself. He clapped his hands over his mouth as Rose turned to glare at him. Oops.

The conversation in the study paused, and then footsteps came towards them. John and the others stepped away from the door, just in time to avoid stumbling through as John's dad opened it. He looked down at the three of them, smiling a little and shaking his head. "I suppose we should have expected you to tire of waiting for us to finish," he said. "Well, if you're going to listen, you should join us so you can speak as well." He turned back into the room and returned to the table they were all sitting around.

Rose wasted no time entering the room and claiming a chair for herself. John entered a little more cautiously, making sure Jade was right behind him. He felt sort of timid, which was a really weird feeling for him - most of the time, he jumped into a new situation too fast to feel anything more than excitement or anger or whatever. After that first rush, he usually just felt dumb about jumping in, but not timid. That was an alien thing.

He swallowed, trying to gulp down this weird feeling at the same time. "So... is that why we've been eating spaghetti all the time? Because we're poor now?"

"Oh John," his dad sighed. "We're not... yes, having another person in the house has strained our financial situation somewhat, but we're doing fine. Besides, I'll take any hardship to give you the life you deserve." He looked at Jade. "Both of you."

John glanced down at his hands, pride in his dad overwhelming his ability to say anything else. The lawyer politely cleared their throat. "That is extremely admirable, Mr. Egbert. I could only wish all parents were as devoted as you."

Dad blushed a little. "Well, it's the gentlemanly thing to do," he muttered.

Doctor Lalonde grinned. "You know, you almost sound like Jake when you say that." She sobered quickly, turning back to the lawyer. "So, as much as I hate to be all serious, did Jake leave any provisions for what would happen to Jade if I were..." Her eyes flickered to where Rose was sitting. "Let's say incapacitated?"

"You can say 'if you were dead', Mom," Rose stated, deadpan. "I'm well aware of how mortal our flesh is."

The doctor chewed her lip. "That's not the only thing I meant, Rose." Mother and daughter looked at each other, communicating something John couldn't even try to understand. Rose nodded, just a little, and seemed to relax slightly.

"In the event that you were incapable of serving as Jade's guardian," the lawyer diplomatically continued the conversation, "Mr. Harley specified that, to put it in simple terms, Jade was to be provided for in an identical way to your own daughter if at all possible. Any other contingencies specifically require your incapacitation."

"Ah, no luck there, then," she said lightly. "It was a long shot, anyway."

"Um..." Jade raised her hand a little. Where'd she pick that up from? John wondered - she obviously hadn't attended any real classes yet, but maybe she'd marathoned some school show and hadn't told them about it. "Can I say something?"

"Of course! This is your future, after all," the lawyer stated.

"Right, okay." Jade took a deep breath, in and out. "So, Grandpa wanted Doctor Lalonde to be my guardian, and made it really really complicated for anyone else to get the job because of this money he set aside for me, right?"

John's dad nodded. "That is a good summary of the situation, yes."

"So, um... is it possible for both you and the doctor to be my guardians?" Jade asked, looking at each of the adults.

The lawyer leaned back, stroking their chin. "Partial custody.... you know, I think that could actually work. I'll have to discuss it with my colleagues who are more versed in these things, but that should satisfy Mr. Harley's conditions regarding Doctor Lalonde as Jade's guardian, as well as allow her to spend most of her time living with the Egberts." They looked at the doctor. "I'm fairly certain you would have to host Jade for some significant period of time, though, or else you could be challenged on whether you were acting in good faith as her guardian."

Doctor Lalonde grinned. "How about... oh, say, six weeks every summer?" She turned to John and his dad. "I'd be more than happy to house the two of you, as well. It wouldn't be the same without everyone here."

Dad smiled wide, exuberant joy pouring out from his face. "That sounds absolutely perfect, Roxy. I would be more than happy to accept those terms."

"So... that works? I get to stay with John and Mr. Egbert?" Jade asked, like she had to hear someone say it straight out before she could believe it. Honestly, John couldn't blame her - he felt the same way.

The lawyer smiled. "As I see it, you get to stay with your family."

John whooped in joy and tackled Jade to the ground. "You get to stay!" he shouted - he was so happy, he wanted the whole world to know why.

Jade laughed and hugged him back. No matter what came next, John would remember this as one of the best moments in his entire life.

[one-of-us-blog]

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Today Drew is forced to watch and recap 1983’s Never Say Never Again, the completely noncanonical James Bond adventure that features the final appearance of Sean Connery in the franchise. Remember Thunderball? Well, would that movie be like if Bond was in his fifties, Largo was a video game playing nerd, Domino was just sort of there and Fiona Vulpe was absolutely out of her damn mind?

Keep reading to find out…

Eli, you’re killin’ me, buddy! I was totally choked up during your Golden Girls retrospective! I’ve always thought about this project as something for the two of us, so the idea that it also turned into something that you got to include your family in really tugged at my heartstrings. You’ve done the Girls proud, Agent 0069! And, I have to say, I breathed a sigh of relief when I read your first recap for The Golden Palace. This series both very similar and very, very different from its predecessor, and I had no clue how you would take to it. I feel like it’s a sign of good things to come that you didn’t completely hate the pilot, but I’ll be on the edge of my seat each week to see how your feelings toward the show change! Speaking of continuations that nobody asked for, though, it’s time for me to tackle this outlier in the James Bond franchise!

Buttocks tight!

Screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr., Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais, film directed by Irvin Kershner

We start off without a gun barrel sequence, and there’s no prelude scene before Lani Hall jumps right into “Never Say Never Again”, the film’s less-than-rousing theme. This time around, Bond is sent to the health clinic because he fails a training mission (maybe because he’s 52). This M (Edward Fox) doesn’t have much use for 00 agents, and Bond’s spent more time teaching lessons to junior agents than getting his hands and/or dick dirty in the field. M orders Bond to get back into shape while Miss Moneypenny (Pamela Salem) is there for no reason and contributes nothing to the movie.

Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera), this movie’s version of Fiona Vulpe, arrives at a SPECTRE meeting. Hey, we haven’t heard from SPECTRE in a long time (sort of)! Blofeld (Max von Sydow) sends Blush to harass an American pilot named Jack Petachi, who happens to be staying at the same health clinic Bond is at. Bond catches Blush in the act, because she’s insane and awful at stealth missions. Bond, who, to be fair, is also awful at stealth missions, immediately makes his presence known while Blush is having the pilot scan his iris into a machine so they can make sure the horrific replacement eye he’s been outfitted with will pass a retina scan. Blush recognizes Bond on sight because he’s the worst secret agent on the planet and sends an assassin to kill him. The assassin is much stronger than the aging Bond and has half a dozen chances to take the spy out, but he’s a dumb henchman so Bond eventually gets the better of him. How, you ask? By throwing his own urine sample into the assassin’s face. Bond’s piss is strong enough that it stuns an assassin long enough for him to fall back onto a shelf of glassware which kills him.

M is pissed and Bond isn’t interested. The pilot uses his truly repulsive transplanted eye to pass a retina scan which results in a pair of nuclear bombs being loaded onto a jet. The pilot drives away, Blush drives up beside him and throws a snake into his car to cause him to crash and die. Blush is worried about the snake’s safety and retrieves it, but if she’s so worried about it maybe she shouldn’t have thrown it into a car that was about to crash through a brick wall. Blush plants an explosive and blows up the pilot’s car, so maybe next time she can just throw the bomb in instead of involving the snake to begin with. The nukes are fired off the unsuspecting jet and retrieved out of the ocean by SPECTRE.

SPECTRE sends a message to world leaders and holds the world for ransom. M is told to reinstate the 00’s, and Bond gets a briefing on Maximillian Largo (Klaus Maria Brandauer), formerly Emilio Largo. We jump over to see Largo being gross in general and possessive of his girlfriend, Domino Petachi (Kim Basinger). Bond meets with an absolutely insufferable version of Q referred to as Algernon (Alec McCowen) and then heads to the Bahamas (maybe he’ll visit Quarrel Jr. on the way) where he meets the equally insufferable Nigel Small-Fawcett (Rowan Atkinson) whom he tasks with gathering intel on Largo. The manic Blush throws herself into Bond’s arms and gets him onto a boat, where she immediately sleeps with him. The sex scene lasts for about fifteen hours, and then we’re treated to another seven hours of scuba diving. My favorite part of Thunderball was the long, drawn out scuba scenes, so I’m tickled pink to see one in this film as well. Blush plants a device on Bond which causes a shark to head his way. Couldn’t have just shot him in the head, huh, Fatima?

After this scene is finally over, Blush is living her best life and dancing around when she catches sight of Bond and the fisherwoman who reeled him in out of the ocean. Blush really is awful at her job and still insists on putting a bomb in Bond’s room instead of just shooting him. Bond’s busy screwing around in the fisherwoman’s room, though, so Blush continues to be the worst at her job. Small-Fawcett informs Bond that Largo’s yacht is headed for Nice, France, and there Bond meets up with a French operative named Nicole (Saskia Cohen Tanugi) and our old friend Felix Leiter (Bernie Casey). It’s been a while, Felix! Bond and Leiter ogle Domino through a telescope while she dances on the deck of Largo’s yacht, and Bond poses an employee of a spa Domino visits. While posing as a masseuse as an excuse to manhandle her, Bond figures out that Largo will be holding a charity bond at a casino.

Nicole drops Bond off at the casino where Blush is waiting for him. She sends her own driver off to kill Nicole while Bond threatens to kill the doorman in order to get into the charity event. Bond reunites with Domino and the two are spotted at the bar by Largo. Largo challenges Bond to a game of Domination, a video game rip off of Risk that gives the player an electric shock when they lose points. The game looks, no joke, fucking bonkers. Bond gets his asses handed to him the first few games, but Largo eventually loses. Bond and Largo both view Domino as property, so as a prize for winning Bond is allowed a dance with Domino. Bond lets Domino know her brother’s dead and had been working for Largo, because in the middle of a dance surrounded by hundreds of onlookers is the best time to receive devastating news.

Largo invites Bond to lunch the next day and he goes back to his villa to find Nicole drowned in a waterbed. Bond chases after Blush on a motorcycle but is eventually captured.  I really can’t stress how absolutely insane Fatima Blush is. She has the manic energy like nothing I’ve ever seen. She frantically demands that Bond declare, in writing, that she’s his number one sexual partner, and Bond uses the explosive dart hidden inside a Q Branch fountain pen to blow Blush to hell. Leiter arrives and the two agents head for Largo’s yacht. Leiter is prevented from entering, and Bond doesn’t seem to mind. Largo was ready for Bond and reminds him they have a lunch date for tomorrow. Bond tells Domino about what happened to her brother and she tells him about the Tears of Allah, a necklace Largo gave her. Bond kisses Domino to make Largo jealous, then sneaks into Largo’s little man cave and sends a signal to MI6 telling them the yacht is headed for Palmyra in North Africa. Largo accuses Domino of betraying him despite her having no agency in this movie and torments her about her dead brother before having her sold as a sex slave to some racist caricatures of Middle Eastern men. Fantastic. Bond is chained nearby, and Largo reveals that one of the nukes is hidden in Washington DC.

Bond gets free thanks to a Q device and rescues Domino. Bond rides a horse off a cliff and he and Domino are rescued by Leiter. Turns out that Tears of Allah necklace Largo gave Domino was a map to the second bomb’s location. Why would he…? You know what, never mind. Bond and Leiter use jetpacks for no damn reason to reach some underwater caves, where they find Largo and the second nuke. Leiter and his team take on Largo’s henchmen while Bond goes after Largo and the nuke in a chopper. Bond chases Largo underwater and Domino arrives out of absolutely nowhere to shoot Largo with a harpoon while Bond disarms the nuke.

Bond and Domino relax in a pool afterward. Small-Fawcett arrives on behalf of M to beg Bond to return to active duty, because without him in the field the fate of the civilized world is at stake. Anyway. Bond and Domino make out after Bond declares he’s never taking up spying again.

The End

~~~~~

Yikes. This one was real bad. I didn’t like Thunderball to begin with, but this rehashing of it was even worse. None of the jokes landed, the self-referential dialogue felt pandery and the whole movie reeked of desperation and spite. On some level I enjoyed Blush’s manic insanity, but she was a cardboard cutout of a character. Largo was turned into a smug nerd in this version, and don’t even get me started on the MI6 crew. A lot of people know about the Bechdel test, but there’s another litmus test for movies called the Sexy Lamp test. Until the end scene where Domino shoots Largo, which, again comes out of absolutely nowhere, this movie did not pass the Sexy Lamp test. Even on a technical side, the effects for this one sucked. I know they were trying to be cutting-edge with Domination, but I have to think that even in 1983 people realized that game was dumb as hell, beside the fact that it had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. I could go on forever, but needless to say I did not care for this movie. The one good thing about it was that we got a Black character who didn’t die by the end of the movie courtesy of this version of Felix Leiter, but even he couldn’t keep this brick afloat.

I give Never Say Never Again Q on the Five Q Scale.

Tune in soon for Eli’s recaps of “Promotional Considerations” and “Miles, We Hardly Knew Ye”, the next two episodes of The Golden Palace (the second of which I have very, very strong feelings about), and after that I’ll be back with my recap of A View to a Kill, the next James Bond adventure and the last to feature my beloved Roger Moore.

Until then, as always, thank you for reading, thank you for saying never and thank you for being One of Us!

[matticus-ocs]

13, 31, 42, 56, 66, 71, 78 for Rem and for Al >:3

this got long too rip

Iremia:13. Do you get jealous easily?‘>|o Not generally. Though sometimes if Kryp goes off with some guy and fucks him without telling me first for some reason, I can get a little antsy. o|

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?‘>|o I definitely have. Before Actino and I started dating, I’d find myself in tears some nights thinking about how much I loved him, but how embarrassed and scared I was to tell him. It’s kinda pathetic. o|

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?‘>|o Not very long at all. I love letting my hands roam over my partner’s body, especially if I know something good is coming soon. o|

56. State 8 facts about your body‘>|o Eight? That’s a lot. Uh let’s see; I’m kinda chunky, I’m hairy as fuck, I have a big dick, my ass is bangin’, I’m kinda beefy too, I need to work my legs out more, I’ve filed my teeth to make them sharper, and my hair’s a coarse, bleached mess. o|

66. What is your favourite roleplay?‘>|o Ooh, that’s a hard one. Not sure really. I remember Kryp and I played something out once though where he was a seductive thief and I was the officer assigned to catch him and “interrogate him” haha. o|

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?‘>|o Fuck dude I have no idea. I’ve had that many I can’t really pick just one. Though, one stands out because it involved both Kryp and his black crush. That was a good one. o|

78. What’s your dirtiest secret?‘>|o Jeez, I dunno. I don’t really have any secrets? Besides that I have a super hard time stopping myself from getting pissed at people and that I’ve killed a couple trolls because I failed to keep myself in check. o|

Alscia:13. Do you get jealous easily?‘(v-v) I don’t think so. Not in a rrromantic sense anyways(v-v) I did howeverrr get incrrredibly jealous when Takaio showed up and drrragged Sevrrrik away frrrom me, ugh’

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?‘(v-v) Not rrreally ‘overrr’ so much as ‘forrr’(v-v) Durrring this whole shitfest with Rrraharrrt I’ve crrried countless times overrr how I’ve trrreated Rrrina. I feel like she deserrrves so much betterrr that someone like me’

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?‘(v-v) Eh, fairrrly long. I like to tease, not just rrrush into things like that’

56. State 8 facts about your body‘(v-v) Uh. I have wide hips, my hairrr’s too currrly to brrrush some days, I have a rrrobotic arrrm, my nose is kinda wonky, I have tiny feet, the fingerrrs on my rrrobot arrrm end in claws, my arrrms arrre both fairrrly toned, and my thighs arrre thick as fuck’

66. What is your favourite roleplay?‘(v-v) Prrrobably that my parrrtner is visiting a fancy massage parrrlourrr and I’m the ‘sexy masseuse’ who’s going to give them a happy ending’

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?‘(v-v) Eh, I can’t rrreally rrrememberrr any off the top of my head, sorrry’

78. What’s your dirtiest secret?‘(v-v) That I’m a two-timing bitch who can’t just be fucking loyal to herrr girrrlfrrriend and stand up to the dickhead tempting me away frrrom herrr’

[supitskeegs]

Spa Day → Treegan

Tagged: Keegan Allen & Troian Bellisario @hqtbells Location: Barcelona, Spain Time Frame: Wednesday, July 12th Notes: Keegan sets up a spa day for Troian to relax and they spend the day together.

Keegan had set up a spa day for Troian pretty much right away once knowing about this trip. He knew she worked hard, whether it was working on a project or constantly being a mother which was tiring and now they had a week to recharge and he wanted to make sure Troian felt relaxed. Booking a day at the Barcelona Luxury Spa, Keegan put on a pair of jeans and a shirt, knowing they'd be changing into robes for most of it anyway. Once it was time to go, he walked on over to Troian's hotel room to get her so they could head over, glad that it was in walking distance so they didn't have to worry about getting a car or any means of transportation to get there. "Rise and shine! It's spa time!" He teased as he knocked on Troian's door and opened it. He didn't even know who her roommate was but he didn't see anyone else in the room anyway. "I hope you're excited for this, because I am. Wait until you see the spa pool they have. It's going to be so nice," he said, smiling at the thought.

Troian was a slow riser that morning. She blamed the lethargy of vacation but really, she just hadn't had her morning coffee yet. With her hair piled on top of her head and dressed in a pair of boxer shorts and a ripped tee, Troian heard the knock at the door and stifled a yawn against her palm as she walked over. Blinking at Keegan's enthusiasm, Troian couldn't help but smile back. /Always/ the cheerful morning bird. "I'm risin'. I'm shinin'," she remarked and pushed the door further open so that he realized it was an invitation for him to walk in. Picking up her mug of coffee, Troian sat down on the bed and tucked one foot underneath her leg as she sipped and surveyed him. "I am excited," she smiled. "Just..not entirely awake yet. It's okay if go out looking ratty, right? I figure the spa doesn't discriminate against slums." She picked at her shirt and then offered him a plate. "Croissant? I swear, let me finish my coffee and I'm moving."

Keegan chuckled at how half asleep Troian still looked, but he knew this was how she was until she had her coffee which she clearly didn't yet. He sat down on the edge of the bed as he waited for Troian to slowly wake herself up. "Yeah, I can see that," he said while smirking. "You don't look ratty, but you can definitely just go like that. We'll be changing into robes anyway once getting there," he said while shrugging. "Thanks," he said once Troian offered him a croissant, eating it slowly. "That's okay, take your time. I mean we do have a reservation, but I knew it'd take a while for you to get up and going so we still have some time before having to get there. And luckily it's only across the street," he said while smiling. "So how did your night with Jen go?"

Troian had finished up her food so while Keegan ate, she stood up. Her fingers moved through his hair and she smiled down at him, enjoying the way the soft strands of sun streaked blonde felt in her fingers. Disappearing into the bathroom to change, Troian kept the door open so they could talk. "Good," she answered him and her words were muffled as she slid her sleep top over her head. She wasn't going to put any make up on or dress up, knowing today was about relaxing anyways. Sliding into a pair of distressed denim shorts and skipping a bra, putting on a lazy black tank instead, Troian continued speaking. "We watched Titanic which she apparently /hates/. Can you believe that?" Troian's tone was indignant, unable to believe anyone could not appreciate young Leo. "And then I fell asleep on her." Coming back out, Troian grabbed her phone and slid it in the back pocket of her shorts. "Ready when you are, Keegs."

Keegan nodded when Troian said she had a good night with Jen, chuckling as she mentioned the blonde hating on Titanic. "How dare she," he teased, rolling his eyes playfully. He knew that Troian was into a young Leo and he couldn't blame her since Leo had always been one of his favorites and still was to this day. When she was ready, Keegan got up off the bed and started leading the way outside, walking across the street where they had a huge spa resort set up. They were going to get massages, go in a sauna, get face masks and even go into a relaxing spa pool that had oils and other assorted minerals that would calm them down and keep them relaxed. Keegan was excited for all of it and hoped Troian would enjoy everything planned. Checking in at the front, they were handed robes to change into and were shown where the massage room was, knowing that would be first. "I suggest focusing on the massage you're getting and not whoever is rubbing their hands all over me or you won'y fully enjoy it," he teased.

Troian "I know!" Troian shook her head, knowing Keegan was teasing her but playing along anyways. She shot him a small smile as they exited her room and the two walked down to the main lobby in companionable silence, Troian's mind whirring with what the spa would bring. She hadn't been to one in forever; she preferred to do spa treatments at home, with her own face masks since the thought of people touching her made her feel twitchy. But with Keegan next to her, she knew he'd calm her down by keeping her distracted. Stepping into the building with him and smelling all the aromatic candles and oils, Troian breathed the soothing scents in and stared around as Keegan checked in. "This is so beautiful," she whispered to him while they were waiting for their robes and rubbed her arm in anticipation, taking the fluffy material when it was handed to her. "Hey!" She laughed, unable to stop it even though her brown eyes narrowed at him. "Don't /you/ enjoy it too much," she teased him and with only a hint of bashfulness, undid her clothes and left her underwear on before climbing onto the table to lay down. "What if your masseuse is some German woman with a mustache?" She snorted, turning her head to grin cheekily at Keegan.

Keegan smiled and nodded. The spa resort was beautiful and he knew they were going to enjoy themselves here. Chuckling when she spoke, Keegan raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, it might be the best massage I've ever had. And if that's the case, you'll just have to give me an even better one afterwards," he teased. "That would be my luck, it's probably going to happen. And you'll get some guy in his 20's that has more muscles than I do," he muttered bitterly. Once they entered the massage room wearing their robes, Keegan saw a guy and a girl waiting for them, the girl working on him and the guy working on Troian. This was going to get interesting, he thought to himself. He couldn't help but be bothered by the idea of a guy putting his hands on Troian and of course he was good looking, which made it even worse. Trying not to think about it, he simply laid down on the table face first and closed his eyes, ready to enjoy a massage he desperately needed.

Troian glanced up to see her masseuse coming towards her and resisted a grin, biting down hard on her bottom lip instead. She could see from the look on Keegan's face that this guy annoyed him just by principle, and she found it adorable. Wanting to reassure him, Troian decided against it as she was having too much fun being the one with the upper hand for once. It was so often service workers hit on him while she pouted in envy in the background. She glanced over at the woman, swallowed a little at the sight of her delicate hands beginning to smooth their way down Keegan's back and then turned her head to the side. They were silly for being bitten by the green eyed monster so easily, but it was sort of inevitable with the two of them. Like moths drawn to a flame. Pressing her face down into the pillow the table provided, Troian breathed out slowly as muscles that had been tense since she was born probably were kneaded, and she couldn't help but let out a small moan. "Damn this feels good," she mumbled drowsily.

Keegan knew it was stupid to get so jealous over a masseuse putting his hands on Troian, especially since it was their job. But it was still weird to see a guy's hands all over her. He didn't know much about who Troian had been with while they were broken up, if she had been at all since they didn't really talk about it but Keegan didn't even want to think about that. Now that his own masseuse started putting her hands on him, Keegan sighed contently against the table as she started kneading his muscles, not realizing how much he really needed this until now. He had been doing so much swimming and was always active that he knew it had to take a toll on his body. "This was a long time coming," he mumbled. "Feels really nice," he whispered, hearing Troian saying the same thing on her end. "Glad you're enjoying it," he said, biting back the jealousy since the main point here was that Troian felt relaxed.

Troian lifted her head up to glance over at Keegan but his face was still pressed down so she couldn't see his expression. She bit her lip and smiled, before pressing her temple into the crook of her arms once more. It was endearing, to see Keegan get so flustered of other men around her. Seven years of knowing each other and he still couldn't see that she had complete tunnel vision when it came to him. Her body warm with this thought, Troian let out a small hum and then kept silent as the rest of the massage went. When it was over, Troian waited until the two workers had left the room and then sat up, holding her sheet to her chest. She wasn't exactly shy about Keegan seeing her but it didn't feel appropriate to just bare her tits at him at the moment. "Enjoy yourself?" She asked knowingly, unable to help the little twinkle in her eye as she did so. "At least your lady didn't have facial hair." She grinned at him and then reached for her robe, shrugging back into it. "What's next?"

Keegan enjoyed the rest of the massage, instantly feeling a change in his body. He felt less tense and it was a mental note to get massages more often so that he wouldn't let his body get so full of knots. He thanked the woman once she was finished, watching her leave as well as the guy who was Troian's masseuse. Clearing his throat, Keegan sit up and smiled softly at Troian who did the same. "Yeah, that was great. You?" He asked while pursing his lips. "Thank god. Though I didn't really pay attention to what she looked like," he said while shrugging. His face was in his arm for most of it and he didn't care to check her out anyway. "The sauna is next, we can stay in there with our robes on," he told Troian, getting up and leading the way. There was a sign that pointed to where the sauna was and Keegan opened the door to enter. "I don't really know what the real point of a sauna is. I mean it seems like you just sweat to death in it," he chuckled. "I haven't been in one before but it seemed like part of the spa package you couldn't skip," he shrugged.

Troian felt her face soften as Keegan mentioned not looking at the woman; it wasn't as if she would have had any room to complain if he had, but the fact that he made it a point to mention he hadn't brought a funny cage of butterflies battering against her stomach. "I loved it. I love all of this so far. Thank you again for doing this." She reached out to squeeze his arm and standing back up, followed him out into the hallway as they made their way towards the sauna. "Oh, saunas are nice," she smiled at him and wrapped her fingers around his bicep. "They cleanse your skin and open your pores. They also improve blood flow and circulation so you'll probably feel more awake when we're done," Troian parroted, sounding, like always, as if she had swallowed a textbook. Stopping in front of the door, she faced him and reached her hand in gently to graze his abs. "You can also lose weight simply by sweating. You're really packing on the pounds too. Did I see you lose an ab?" She felt nothing but rock hard flesh and raising a playful brow at him to show she was teasing, Troian removed her hand and then went in to sit on the bench and let the steam wash over her. She could use a good cleansing anyways.

Keegan smiled and nodded. "You're welcome, I'm glad you like it so far," he said. There were still a few things to do but it was off to a good start. Of course he couldn't help but roll his eyes playfully as Troian started going on and on about how beneficial a sauna was for you. He didn't expect any less from her and he was curious about it so he had to admit that he was glad she was so smart about everything all the time. Or at least most of the time. "Well thank you for that lesson, now I know how my body and skin will be after we get out of it. In way better condition," he smiled. When she grazed his abs with a hand, Keegan chuckled and leaned forward as she did. "I told you, all that ramen is really getting to me. You didn't want to believe me," he teased. Once they got inside, Keegan sat on the bench in there next to Troian as the room started to feel with steam. He could barely see and he was already sweating. "How am I supposed to feel comfortable in these conditions? This must be a joke."

Troian closed her eyes, perfectly comfortable. She had been to several saunas in her lifetime and she knew the drill. The sweat was pouring down her skin and she loosened the ties of her robe, letting it slip a little so that she could get some air and then peeked one eye open to glance at Keegan. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else and the sight made her giggle. "It's cleansing!" She reminded him and tugged on the belt of his robe. "Undo it a little. I promise, I won't try to grab Keegan Jr.," she grinned and smoothed a palm through her hair to push back the frizzy flyways due to the humidity in the room. "I could probably get you to talk so much in this. You're so uninhibited in here, you'd spill anything." She turned to face him, smirk on her lips. "So, Keegan - brunettes or blondes?" She couldn't help it. The urge to flirt every time they spoke was too high and wanting to distract him from the heat, Troian reached for material she knew would get him to smile. "If you say blondes, I'm leaving you in here and telling them to crank the heat up even more." Her lips split into a full, playful grin and her gaze lingered a little on his chest before she directed her attention back to his face.

Keegan huffed. This didn't seem like cleansing to him, it felt like torture. He felt sweat dripping in the most random places and with this robe still on, it felt even more hot in there. "I really just want to take this robe off completely because I feel like I'm suffocating," he muttered. When she said to undo it a little and she wouldn't grab Keegan Jr., Keegan laughed. "If I recall correctly, you mentioned having hands that could help out Keegan Jr.," he said to Troian, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "I would probably spill anything because I'm so agitated in here," he groaned. When she asked him blondes or brunettes, Keegan smirked. "Bl-brunettes," he said, winking at her. "That would be so mean! You wouldn't do that. Then you'd put me in danger," he said, kicking her foot playfully.

Troian arched her eyebrow as Keegan teasingly went to say blondes, her mouth falling open in playful shock and then she nodded smugly as he gave her the answer she wanted. "If /I/ remember correctly, you told me you'd think about letting me see you naked again. Whose the one delaying it, Keegs? Not me." Her words spilled out in a sing song voice and she kicked his foot back, shrugging her shoulders with a smile still on his face. "Oh, I'd do just about anything to keep you in line." Raising a palm to wipe at her temple, Troian wanted to stay in the sauna more only to further agitate her easily flustered Keegan, but even she was beginning to grow a little too slick with sweat. Rising up, Troian made sure she was covered so nobody could get a free peek at the goods and pulled Keegan up, over to the doors. "Let's see if we can go do something that doesn't cause you to melt like a popsicle." She wiped some moisture off his brow, cupping his cheek and smiled at him before exiting. She hoped this package included something that had her sinking into cold water - her body could definitely use it now.

Keegan laughed when Troian told him what he said once they had this discussing about him getting a handjob. "This is true, I did say that. Damn. Keegan Jr. is not going to impressed with my antics, delaying everything," he teased. "You wouldn't let me overheat to death! Don't be silly," he said, letting out a sigh of relief when Troian got up. "Thank god," he mumbled, not knowing how much more he could take. Thankfully the next thing they were doing was going into the pool which would be nice and cool. "Oh yeah, the spa pool is next. Perfect timing right?" He said while smiling. When she cupped his cheek and wiped some of the sweat off his brow, Keegan grinned and followed her towards the pool. This was what Keegan was waiting for, always feeling comfortable and happy when in a pool. "It's going to be tempting to swim around but the point is to relax so I guess I better stay still," he said while smirking. There were waterfalls in the pool which made it even cooler and when Keegan found the steps, he looked around before taking off his robe. "Nothing you haven't seen before, right?" He smirked before getting on. "Oh shit it's cold!"

Troian "Almost like fate," Troian laughed. She followed the signs that led towards the pool and stopped at the steps, watching Keegan de-robe and slide in. Was she still in the sauna? Because her body temperature still felt like it was escalating. Thankful she could blame the flush on her cheeks from the previous heat, Troian internally face-palmed at the fact that she /still/ acted like a teenager seeing Keegan naked. Licking her lips and sliding her robe off herself, Troian folded it neatly and then moved into the water. She hadn't skinny dipped in forever but it was one of her favorite activities, with the philosophy that nothing felt as pure as when you experienced it bare. Pushing her hair back and ducking underwear to cool her face, Troian came back up and sighed out in contentment, loving how good the water felt against her heated skin. "You going to survive? Need a little body heat?" Swimming up to him, Troian moved so that they were side by side and her shoulders brushed up against his. "I kind of want to see you swim again. You looked hot doing it on that game show." She smiled at him. "Where did this swimming obsession come from, anyways? It's like you're the merman to my mermaid."

Keegan leaned against the ledge once he was in the water, making sure to go underwater right away so that his whole body cooled down. It felt amazing and he ran his hands through his long hair before shaking it out and watching as Troian joined him. She was so stunning and Keegan couldn't help but stare at her naked body. He had seen it more times than he could count and it still took his breath away. "I think I might be okay for now, but the longer we're in here, the more I'll need body heat," he teased as Troian came closer to him. When she said she wanted to see him swim again, Keegan chuckled. "Then maybe I will. It's not like it's against the rules, right? Plus swimming naked is so freeing and amazing," he said. "I don't know, it was just a good way to start exercising and I got hooked on it. I lost nearly forty pounds just from swimming so it's been good for me."

Troian listened to Keegan talk, raising her eyebrows at the mention of the forty pound loss. She didn't know how to feel about that - she didn't think Keegan needed to lose any weight, and weight loss was always a tricky subject for her to think about..but Keegan looked good, and he seemed healthy and happy so that was all that mattered. "Good," she finally spoke and smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind a free show." Her fingers squeezed one of his arms playfully, her nails edging into the flesh of his muscle and Troian locked eyes with Keegan before propelling her arms backwards so she could swim away from him. "I get to see the butt." Giving Keegan a cheeky grin, Troian moved her fingers through her now wet and tangled locks and floated up and down in the water, growing a little cold now but not wanting to miss the chance to unabashedly check out Keegan for even a few minutes. Her appreciation of his physical appearance had never been something she was shy about and when he looked as good as he did, Troian enjoyed telling him. She gave a low wolf whistle, playfully cat-calling him and grinned. "Show off for me."

Keegan chuckled when Troian said she wouldn't mind a free show, causing him to roll his eyes playfully. "I bet," he teased, winking at her. He blushed slightly when she mentioned getting to see his butt, letting out a sigh. Keegan started at one end of the pool and dove into the water, swimming underwater and making his way to the other side of the pool without coming up for air. It was something he had been working on and now that he was swimming so much, he was a pro at it. He started doing the same thing while heading back in Troian's direction and when he spotted her legs underwater, Keegan grabbed them playfully before coming up for air. "How was that?" He asked while smirking, slightly out of breath. "It's so much fun to swim. This water feels a little bit slimy though from all the oils they put it in to soothe your skin."

Troian bit her lip, smiling as Keegan agreed to swim and leaned her back against the pool wall as she watched him. His long hours of doing so showed; he was effortlessly graceful in the water, his arms pumping and his body moving swiftly underneath so that he could hit the edges of the pool and then flip back to meet her again. She had always liked to playfully proclaim that she had been a mermaid in a past life and if she had, Keegan was definitely the merman. She saw him moving closer and closer to her and even though his hand darting out to grab her legs was expected, Troian still let out a little squeal of surprise and was grinning as he came back up. "Very sexy," she laughed and reached her fingers out to push his wet curls away from his eyes. "Thank you for indulging me. Let me-" Speaking of oils, his skin was slick with them and Troian dabbed a little at something stuck to his temple before she pulled back. "You looked good," she concluded with a soft smile and then glanced over at the doors. "Think we should get out before somebody comes in and sees us, though?" She didn't know if the pool was booked exclusively for them or what but Troian didn't really fancy anybody else getting to see Keegan like this.

Keegan chuckled and shook his head when Troian said his swimming was sexy. She moved his wet curls out of his face which made him smile and when she told him he looked good, Keegan grinned. "Thank you," he said. "Yeah, we probably should. The last thing we need is some random stranger barging in on us. We're practically skinny dipping here," he laughed. Getting out of the pool, Keegan tried to air dry as best as possible before putting his robe back on. The day was coming to an end which he was sad about but at least he and Troian would feel more relaxed by the end of it and that was the goal. "The only thing left we have to do is the facial masks, which makes me sound like a total girl but I'm ready to have smooth skin on my face," he said to Troian while smirking. Going into the next room, Keegan and Troian were led to two tables to lay on while two people started applying the face mask to their faces, warning them to stay very still, something Keegan had trouble doing.

Troian nodded in agreement with Keegan, climbing out after him and reaching for her towel to wrap snugly around her frame. The material clung to her and she moved her wet hair over her shoulder, squeezing out the excess droplets and then looking over as Keegan described their last spa activity. She felt a twinge of disappointment that she'd have to say bye to him sooner than she wanted to; but she was just going to enjoy the last few moments of their afternoon out together. "Facial masks are not just for girls!" She argued, following him into the room. "They're very good for your skin and besides, it's just us in here. I won't tell a soul and I'll let you keep your very manly reputation." She winked at him and then leaned back on the table. Troian applied face masks to herself nearly every night, knowing that makeup constantly slathered on her face for work and events was damaging. She didn't want wrinkles by age forty. "I always feel like an alien or something," she told Keegan with clenched teeth. She couldn't move her mouth too much, not wanting the mask to crack and she peeked a glance over at him, unable to resist giggling. "You look funny."

Keegan nodded as Troian spoke. "I know, I know. But still! You don't see many men going around bragging about wearing a facial mask," he chuckled. "Thank you, I need to keep my reputation clear and very manly," he teased. Now that the face mask was applied to his mask, Keegan felt so weird, especially since it made his face feel heavy and hard. He couldn't talk in it either since it could crack so now he was just laying on the table and staring at the table. Troian muttered something about him looking funny and he rolled his eyes playfully, not wanting to ruin it. When it was time for it to be taken off, Keegan groaned at this discomfort. He was excited to feel his skin afterwards but the pain to get it off was almost making him wish he didn't do this. "Man, and girls do this daily? How?" He said while shaking his head. "My skin is so soft now," he said as he stroked his cheek, reaching out to touch Troian's.

Troian The removal of the mask was never Troian's favorite part, it actually burning her skin to do so. It was like somebody super glueing it to your face and then chipping it off. She kept silent though, just biting down on her lip hard as it was removed and then breathed out slowly as it was finally done. "Same," she chuckled and her cheeks flushed under Keegan's touch. With the aestheticians having left the room, it was just the two of them and the moment felt oddly vulnerable and intimate. "Is my skin soft?" She asked him, smiling slightly at the feeling of his digits on her cheek.

Keegan smiled while staring into Troian's eyes. "Yes, very soft," he said, moving his fingers against her cheek gently. He then pulled his hand back and cleared his throat, tightening the soft belt on his robe and realizing that they'd have to change back into their clothes now. "I'm gonna miss this robe, it's nice to wear when completely naked underneath," he said while smirking. He went into the changing room to put his clothes back on, hanging up the robe and meeting Troian outside so they could start making their way back to the hotel. "Any plans for the rest of the day? I think I'm going surfing with Tyler in a little bit which should be fun."

Troian flushed darker as Keegan mentioned being naked underneath it. She /knew/ he was but - still. "Thanks for the mental images you've given me today," she wanted to call out after him but she kept her lips pressed shut. Simply staring at the back of him and then turning around, heading back into her room and pulling her clothes back on. She folded up the robe neatly and was just re-doing her hair in a wet braid when he met up with her. Wrapping the elastic around the end of her braid, Troian smiled at him and then began to walk towards the hotel once more with him. "No," she shook her head. "I think I'm just gonna crash in my room for a bit. This spa made me all zoned out. I hope you have fun with Ty, though." She stopped at the front of the main entrance doors, tugging up her tank strap and then leaned forward to press a light kiss against his lips. Short, sweet and to the point. "Thanks for everything today, Keegs. You always make me feel so special."

Keegan smiled softly and nodded. "Good, it was supposed to get you all relaxed so now taking a nap will make it even better," he said. "Thank you, I'm sure I will," he said, excited to hang out with one of their cast members. He was caught off guard when Troian leaned in to kiss him but he didn't mind one bit, smiling afterwards. "You're welcome, I had a great time. I'll see you tomorrow. For Colton's birthday," he pointed out, glad that they would be going together. "Have a good rest of the day, T."

[suadcampbell]

CONSUMERISM

ISM:

CONSUMERISM

is given a bad rap. Does it deserve the disdain? I mean, really, what's wrong with it? Whom does it harm? Not the economy. Not the job market. Not the inventors. Who's to say when enough is enough? If someone said to me, "Suad, stop. You have enough chocolates, bric-a-bracs, books, clothes, jewelry. Just stop, it's overindulgent." I'd say, "You don't understand, I can never have enough chocolates, bric-a-bracs, books, clothes, or jewelry, and anyway, who the heck are you to dictate to me what I should and should not have? And what about you? I think you have three cars too many. The house you live in is ostentatious. Your kids have too many toys." See how rocky the road becomes when one starts down it.

        Should we all be happy living in tract homes if we can afford to buy designer ones? Should we buy non-organic foods even if we can afford organic? How about our TVs? Does anyone really need a TV that stretches the length of the room and is so clear you can see the anchors' pores beneath their pancake makeup, the errant hair in a nostril, the crevasses of crows feet? What was wrong with the boxy 26 inch screens of just a decade ago? And have you seen the coffeemakers these days? There are a myriad of choices. Some of these machines are as sophisticated as what you find in Starbucks. But hey, if a person loves his coffee, this is caffeine heaven.

I've been in kitchens whose stoves rivaled those of a restaurant's. Enormous, chrome beasts whose grates look as if they could swallow you. Do any of the cooks you know need stoves like these? Do any of these stoves' owners use them to full potential? I'm sure there are some but not many. And what about the refrigerators they're selling now? They're practically walk-in. But who cares? If it makes people happy and they can afford it, who gives a heck?

        Kitchen gadgets abound. Who needs apple corers, or watermelon slicers, or mushroom brushes, or garlic keepers, or food processors, or industrial strength blenders, or paper towel racks, or banana hangers, or bread makers? Core your own apples! Slice your own watermelon! Dice your onions by hand, and knead your own dough--and shove your paper towels under your sink.

Microwave ovens? Blech. Get your ass in the kitchen and put the roast in the oven, and the potatoes. Boil the vegetables on top of the range. And do this after you've been working all day and your kids are clamoring for food and attention. Uh-huh. You go first.

        It goes without saying, that afterwards you wash the dishes by hand, because who really needs a dishwasher?

        I won't give examples about automobiles and trucks and motorcycles. About toy motorized scooters, chrome racing bikes, mountain bikes, desert vehicles with all the big wheels. Quad this. Quad that. I won't talk about the electronic industry: iPhones, dumb, smart, and smarter—they're working on smartest. Or iPads, e-readers, laptops, desktops, blackberrys and droids. Who can live without them? Why would they? Would you? COULD YOU?

        We all know about shoes. The importance in having the right shoes. Gangs take them very seriously. They steal and beat each other up over them. Schools ban certain kinds of shoes, especially if the laces are the wrong colors. These shoes cost hundreds of dollars. And how about sunglasses? We all need them, right? Especially, if we live in the western states or the sunbelt. But they have to be designer to look right. To feel good. And what about ripped jeans? A must.

        And does anyone really need the bright pink flamingo lawn ornaments or the wooden ducks, or stone cherubs? The wind chimes, the "Welcome Home Sweet Home flags? The ornamental birdhouses? Fountains? Jacuzzis and pools?

        Don't even get me started on the non-essential service industry—non-essential to regular folk: maid service, cleaning service, lawn service, acupuncturists, chiropractic, life coaches, pool cleaners, masseurs and masseuses. While, technically these are non-tangible assets that one contracts out for, it's still consumerism because it's something you want and you pay for it. Trust me, if I had the money, I'd employ all of the above, except for the pool. I haven't got one.

        I think it's fantabulous that we live in a country where even the poorest among us have some of these luxuries. And they are luxuries. They're not necessities, not exactly. But they give us choices, make us feel good, free us up, help the economy, and make life more enjoyable. Period. We are not Puritans.

        It isn't as though by depriving ourselves of "stuff" we'd start reading the classics and the moderns and discuss books like say, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Or Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections.

        People would be no less hungry in Africa, or freer in Iran, or safer in North Korea; or wiser or smarter or happier.

        Do some people get caught up in consumerism? Need every new-fangled thing, and then some? Of course. Do they overextend themselves, go into debt, fall into trouble? Of course. But it isn't fair to denigrate consumerism across the board because some people can't control their spending. It would be like condemning all gambling, alcohol, or porn, all pleasurable activities—for at least some of us. Not everyone who gambles becomes an addict, not everyone who drinks becomes an alcoholic, and not everyone who watches porn is a sex addict, neither is everyone who eats dessert obese.

        If we relinquished our stuff, or at least became less anxious for the new products and waited until our stuff was obsolete, we wouldn't suddenly become devout and pious and devoted to helping one another. Charitable donations wouldn't go up. We'd be too busy cooking on the stove, scrubbing dishes, hunting for pay phones or tripping over our wall-phone cords, writing messages by hand, squinting at small TVs, mowing our own lawns, cleaning our own pools, driving clunkers, and manually opening our garage doors—okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration—but we'd be working harder, and we'd be too damn tired to help anyone. And we'd be sad. Grieving for our stuff, our wonderful way of life. Our brains would atrophy. Our bubbles burst.

        I say viva consumerism as long as you can pay for it! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

        What say you?

[sarahburness]

The Most Powerful Way to Help Someone Through Emotional Pain

“When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.” ~Unknown

I walked in for my monthly massage and immediately sensed something was off.

A layer of desolation hung in the air like an invisible mist, ominous and untouchable, yet so thick I felt as though I could reach out and grab a handful in my fist, like wet cement, oozing out between my fingers.

I’d been seeing the same masseuse once a month for three years, repeating the same routine each time. I wait in the hallway just outside her rented studio, a large walk-in closet size room in a building filled with hundreds of similar rooms, each rented to private individuals running their small passion businesses. Across from her, a wax studio. Down the hall, a hair salon.

The building houses the manifested dreams of men and women who finally had enough of the daily nine-to-five grind, fired their bosses, and defiantly forged their way into their own businesses, renting space big enough for their hopes yet small enough for their start-up pockets.

The appointment started unlike any other. When her door’s closed, it means she’s with another client, so I sit in the hallway, in one of the two wobbly wooden chairs the building provides for each tenant, and wait.

When the door opens and the previous client leaves, we greet with hugs and smiles, expressing mutual joy in seeing each other again. As she closes the door, I take off my clothes and lie on the table face down, exchanging small talk about any happenings since we last saw one another.

Except this time, on this fateful day, the door opened and I was greeted by an overwhelming sense of sorrow spilling out of the room with a vengeance, as if it had been trapped for decades.

Standing in place of my masseuse friend was a lifeless, hollow shell of a person with empty zombie eyes. I hardly recognized her.

Jen (not her real name) was clearly not her usual self.

I’ve seen her in several bad moods throughout the years but this was beyond moods, and bad was too kind a word.

Like me, Jen’s an introverted, sensitive soul, and neither of us have tolerance for inauthenticity or meaningless chit chat. We had long established that she didn’t have to be “on” around me, that she was allowed to take off her professional mask and I my client mask and we could simply be ourselves with each other, neither of us having to endure the torture of polite pleasantries if we didn’t feel like it.

One of my pet peeves is society’s constant pressure and expectation to put on a happy face and pretend everything’s okay while inside things are desperately broken.

So I said “hi” and walked in, neither expecting a return “hi” nor receiving one. She closed the door behind me and tears suddenly welled in my eyes as I undressed, as if sorrow no longer had the means to escape through the open door and found another way out by hitchhiking my tears.

I wanted to respect the present moment, even though I didn’t understand it, so I stayed silent and lay on the table, face down, as I’d always done.

Ten minutes in, between deep long strokes on my back, I heard a soft, almost inaudible, “I lost the girls.”

Jen had been pregnant with twin girls. I remember the day she told me. She could barely wait for me to get through the door before blurting out, “I’m pregnant!” She and her husband had been trying to get pregnant for a while and finally, she was not only pregnant, she was pregnant with twins!

And now, she wasn’t anymore.

I sunk into the massage table as the enormity of what she said dropped into me. And then, I started to get up and tell her that she didn’t have to massage me. We could talk if she wanted, or she could take the extra hour to herself, I’d still pay her. She gently nudged my shoulder back down and said she needed to work; it kept her mind from self-destructing.

She told me that her soul had been emptied along with her womb, and there was nothing left, let alone tears, inside her.

I had enough tears for both of us so I told her I’d cry, for her, her girls, and her loss. For the next forty-five minutes, as she released my knots, I released tears, wails, and guttural sobs. It came and went in waves and I became acutely aware of the rhythm of her breathing as it converged with mine and became one.

Between waves, there were moments of talking.

Like with me, she had met many of her clients with the exciting news that she was pregnant, and like with me, she also had to tell them she was no longer pregnant. Client after client, spread out over weeks, she had to repeat the same story over and over until every client who knew had been caught up.

It was a devastating loss for her, and one she had to retell to each client, all hearing it for the first time, all with similar questions and the same sympathetic side tilting heads in response.

She said her days have been filled with well-intentioned but stale advice like “everything happens for a reason,” and “they’re in a better place now,” and “you’ll get pregnant again.”

She told me each time she heard these statements, it felt like another jab in her weary stomach. She didn’t care about getting pregnant again, better places, or higher reasons. When a mother’s unborn babies have been ripped away from her, no reason could ever make it right.

She wasn’t in the headspace to feel better or think of a brighter future, she simply wanted to be acknowledged for the pain she was going through now, but no one had remained with her in the pain. They had all tried to make her feel better, which only made her feel worse.

In our own discomfort of feeling painful emotions, we try to help others not feel theirs. It’s difficult for us to see someone we love suffering, and naturally, our first impulse is to try to make it go away, whether it’s through reason, logic, distraction, faith or any other means.

We feel helpless, so we desperately reach for what we know, what we’ve been taught, and what others have done to us in our own moments of suffering. We offer trite words that deep down we know won’t help but we hold onto the hope that they will anyway because we don’t know what else to say or do.

The more powerful choice is to simply be with someone, accepting and embracing the painful moment as is, without trying to fix or make it better. It goes against our natural urge to want to help, but often, this present moment acceptance of the deep emotions flowing through a person is exactly what they need to help them move through it, in their own time.

As powerful as it is to shine a light for someone who’s ready to emerge, it is equally powerful to sit with them in the darkness until they’re ready.  

After the session, Jen told me she felt relief for the first time since it happened, as if a weight had been lifted from her. She hadn’t realized it, but with each client, friend, and loved one who tried to make her feel better, she felt a mounting sense of pressure to feel better, as if there was something even more wrong with her for not being able to.

She hadn’t been conscious of the constant pressure until it was gone, in our session, when she was finally allowed to feel exactly as she’d been feeling and was fully accepted in her pain.

Stepping out into the hallway and turning back for a long melting hug, I sensed the profound shift in her energy, vastly different from when I had walked in an hour ago. She was still wounded but there was an element of acceptance in her pain, a faint glow of light within the darkness.

This sacred, healing light only comes as a result of fully embracing the darkness. It can’t be forced, manipulated, or pushed into existence.

This is the true power of accepting our own deep pain and sitting with someone in the dark as they feel theirs.

About Tree Franklyn

Tree Franklyn is a best-selling author and emotional empowerment coach who teaches soul-centered empathic women how to manage their deep, overwhelming emotions so they can reconnect with who they truly are and start creating the life they want. Download a free copy of her Ultimate Emotional Survival Guide for Empaths and Sensitive Souls here.

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[filipinawives]

The Filipino Finders Fee! Microeconomy at its most dubious!

  I’m an Australian through and through, and where I come from you never try to rip off a mate. Business is business, and we’re all entitled to earn a living, but when it comes to friends, family and neighbours we take a different approach. And so do many in the Philippines, but not everyone! There are those who always have their hands out for a finders fee, and those in Australian Filipina relationships need to learn about this.  

Look a little familiar??

    What is a finders fee? Is it a commission?

OK, of course it’s easy to criticize when you’re in the luxurious position of being able to say “Oh, no. That’s OK. I don’t want any money.” And it’s a lot harder when you are living day-to-day. Life can be very hard in the Philippines, and there is a distinct lack of safety nets. However for many, they could do better if they thought beyond the immediate opportunities and reaped the longer-term rewards that come from integrity. What it means essentially that there are people here in the Philippines who will always “top up” a cost, so as to include something for themselves, or they’ll just outwardly ask for their cut. In most cases not something that bothers the locals very much, because they come to expect it. And they may even do the same thing themselves, so don’t see the problem. And of course if someone genuinely works for something, they are entitled to make some money. You get someone running errands, standing in lines, negotiating on your behalf, well then sure. If they didn’t include it in the price at the start, you would tend to give them a decent tip anyway. The one that’s annoying is the unearned or barely-earned fee. The Filipino who does practically nothing, then wants to profit from it.  

Examples of questionable finders fees

“Hello neighbour! Do you know a good plumber?” Neighbour texts a plumber he knows. Plumber turns up and works. At the end of the job, the neighbor hits up the plumber for a finders fee.

We had a driver once who used to tell businesses that we dealt with that they were the one who directed us to go there, and would stick his hand out for payment.

Same driver found a masseuse for Mila who would come to the house. Used to get a cut each and every time the masseuse came here.

Needed an NSO birth certificate for our daughter Remy (many years back). A relative volunteered. She was late-registered, and relative claimed the birth certificate became more expensive the later it was registered. Would have simply paid her for her time if she had asked, but it was the lying that I never quite forgot.

Distant relative told us of a farm for sale in the province. A bit of a bargain. Did nothing more than this. Found out later wanted a HUGE cut from the seller. On principle we just walked away.

  Finders fees. The problem.

Again, this is mainly a problem when you don’t expect it. Australians traditionally don’t work that way. You help out a mate, and you are 100% upfront with them. If you help them pour a concrete slab, you are happy with beer and a good feed at the end. You also know you can count on them if you need help, in the same way that Filipinos accumulate utang na loob. However that’s very much a back-of-the-mind thing. If you never need help with concreting, it would never bother you. We loaned some money to a very honorable couple of relatives recently. They wanted to let us plant rice on their farm in return. Mila told them directly that I would never even think of that. Aussies don’t make profit from those we are close to. It doesn’t feel right. And decent Filipinos feel the same. But there are always those who don’t.  

Back to those you could, should, or with time will come to expect it from!

You can expect the taxi driver who suggests a particular hotel to come in with you when you check in, and get a little handout. You may have a guard at the airport who suggests a particular hotel and says “Give them this card”, which is a card with his name on. Yes, he’s organizing a payment for himself later. If someone at the hotel offers to organize a beautician to do a manicure for your wife, they will get a small cut. If a staff member asks if you need a good money changer, they have some in mind who will give them a handout. When you’ve been here long enough, you know this and it doesn’t bother you. I actually admire this, because they’re showing some initiative. They help me out, and they make a bit. I’m fine with that. And at the end of the day, they’re just trying to support their families a little bit better. And again, to me? Business is business. Where I have a problem is when it’s someone whom you trust, or where it’s a blatant ripoff. Or when it’s an employee of yours making profit in excess of the salary you pay them. The other thing is when they see the white man foreigner and they go for the big rip-off. The taxi driver who charges 10 times the prices because he may just get away with it. Makes a big profit today if he gets away with it, but will never get repeat business. No doubt hard to resist when the opportunity is there, but there is this thing called integrity. Those who do act with integrity and don’t take advantage of short-term opportunities can instead win the trust of those around them and build a strong reputation for honest dealing which will pay off far more over time.    

The following post The Filipino Finders Fee! Microeconomy at its most dubious! wasis courtesy of www.filipinawives.com.au