#Making Lemonade Road Tour

[imagintheworldaway]

Oh, Baby

Request - open

Warnings: Drinking??

I sat tapping my foot on the tiled ground of our en-suite bathroom. I checked the time, 3:46pm, Nikki would be back at four, and I could not risk him knowing what I was getting up to. I kept my eyes glued to the clock as the thin arm counted every second, and as soon as it ticked over to the next minute I averted my eyes to the little white stick on the counter. My hand shook as I reached for the stick. I took one last deep breath before turning it over and letting my eyes fall on the little pink lines. A plus. I couldn’t help but let a huge grin erupt on my face as I stared at the stick. It wasn’t like we were trying for a baby or anything but here I was, stood in my bathroom with the most amazing news ever. “Honey I’m Homeeee” Nikki Called in a playful tune, thank god, it meant band practice had gone well. I stuffed the little stick under some towels before unlocking the door and making my way downstairs. “Hey baby” I smiled linking my arms around his neck as he smiled at me. “God you get sexier every time I see you” he smirked planting a kiss. “Awe such a romantic, good practice then??” I questioned unlocking my arms and playing with the ends of his long hair. “Amazing, this finale date is gonna kick ass” he said with a goofy grin. “Oh and Vince and Sharise have invited us all round tonight” he said as he rubbed my sides. “That’s nice, any reason??” I tried to pry, Vince and Sharise had parties but never ‘private’ ones with just us lot, that was more heathers thing. “Nope no clue, but it’s us, Tommy, Heather, Mick and Emi, so whole gang really” Nikki shrugged as he let go of me for a moment and reached down to get his bag. “Did you get a time atleast?” I asked folding my arms as I watched him rummage around for something. “Oh yh 7:30” he said nonchalantly. Surprising me, a little. i just nodded before saying i was off to get ready, and that he should probably shower himself.

The ride to Vinces house was a short one. We only lived 15 minutes down the road, but Nikki being Nikki meant that we were running late. I had worn a black dress, not anything too formal but the fabric was perfect at hiding any signs of a slight bump. After this afternoon I had been staring at myself in the mirror and I had slowly started to realise the smallest little bump had started to form. I knocked on the door as I shot my husband a death glare and waited for one of the hosts to answer. “I’m sorry baby ok” he said for the a millionth time as he kissed my cheek. “Doesn’t cut it Sixx” I said through gritted teeth as the door finally opened. “Hello stranger” I smiled as I gave Vince a hug. “Hello, wow look at you, like an angel fallen from heaven” he said his cheesy line as I passed over the bottle of wine and started walking into the house. “Save it for your wife Neil” I called over my shoulder as I looked for the other women. I finally found them hanging around the kitchen. “Hi” I smiled as I entered earning an array of hellos from the other women. “Red Y/N?” Heather asked as she grabbed a wine glass for me. Shit shit fuck, maybe I should have said something to Nikki earlier, everyone knew I liked a drink. “Not tonight ladies, I am actually being sensible for once” I giggled as I grabbed a can of lemonade and poured it into a tumbler instead. “Ugh what is wrong with you two tonight, Sharise isn’t drinking either and it’s her damn party!” Heather laughed as she placed the wine glass back down. I furrowed my eyebrows momentarily before joining in with the previous  conversation. 

It was about half way through dinner, everything was normal and thankfully nothing else had happened which made me need an excuse. “Ok guys” Vince said making our conversations stop as we all turned to look at him. Nikkis hand rested on my thigh as I played with his fingers. “So obviously we wouldn’t just hold a party for nothing, and this isn’t the usual ‘end of tour party’ that’s still happening tho” he smiled “Sharise and I have a little announcement to make” Vince said grabbing her hand. “We’re pregnant” Sharise beamed at us all at sat there in shock for a moment before congratulating the couple. Everyone was elated and so the festivities ensued! 

It was about 3am by the time I had dragged Nikki home. Mick and Emi had left a few hours ago and heather was as sloshed as Tommy and Vince so I decided to leave Sharise with them and drag my husband home. “Awe baby we were having fun” Nikki slurred as he stumbled up the driveway. “You were having fun, I’m tired” I giggled as I unlocked the door, Nikki snaking his arms around my waist and trailing little kisses down my neck. I let out a sigh of contentment as I pushed open the large door and led my husband inside. Before I could take another step I felt some arms around me hoisting me up. I squealed a little as I met my husbands back. “ no time to waste” he slurred as I hung over his shoulder and he stumbled up the staircase. “Be careful” I laughed as he made a B line for our bedroom. Soon I was being flung on the bed and his arms were caging me as he hovered above me. “What’s got into you mister” I said as the tips of his hair tickled my face. “Well, with Sharise all knocked up I think it’s our turn” he smirked going for my neck again. “Our turn? As in you want a baby?” I asked melting into his touch. “Fuck Yh, a mini me or you running around would be so sick” Nikki said in between kisses as he trailed down my body. I bit my lip and hoisted myself up onto my elbows. “Nikki” I said as he got to my navel. “Shh lay down” he mumbled. “NIKKI” I said raising my voice a little causing his eyes to meet mine. He looked at me dumbfounded I contemplated my words for a moment. “What if we didn’t need to try” I said softly. It took a moment for what I said to register, and his face sobered up almost immediately. “Do you mean?” He asked looking down at my stomach. “Yes” I smiled down at him. His hand instantly went to my stomach, gently holding his palms there he looked at me in amazement. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked looking back at me. “I only found out today” I said sitting up so he was knelt between my legs. “Hey little guy” he started talking at my stomach. “I still need to go to the doctors to have an actual test, but all signs were pointing to it and here we are” I sighed running my fingers through his hair. “I mean it’s not like we’re exactly careful” I giggled as Nikki still marvelled at my stomach. “A baby” he whispered. “I know, a little me or you running around” the reality of it all finally setting in. “A little rockstar” Nikki smiled. “God were good” he said leaning up and kissing me. “Are you ready? Cause there’s no going back?” I asked the past still haunting me a little. “Yes nothing could ever make me not want this little guy” he smiled at me. “Now Mr Sixx I think we were in the middle of something” I said slyly. “I do think some congratulations are in order Mrs Sixx” Nikki smirked before picking up where he left off. 

[little-reader]

“The Son of A Monster” Ch.3

Masterlist

Carl grimes x Male!Reader

Warnings; Death, blood, Slow-burn Sexual tension, Gay awakening (For both), Cursing, Negan is Readers dad, Enemies to lovers story. Fighting. Zombie apocalypse

Rick wasn’t there, nor was Aaron. You found a place where Iris could stay. The woman you met last time, Olivia. She looked slightly scared again once you got into view. You left Iris alone to unpack.

You moved your bat off the couch and onto the carpet floor, sitting down as your dad was talking to Olivia. “Dad!” You said, eyes wide when you heard the words come out of his mouth. A hard smack across the face echoed throughout the room when Olivia slapped him. Your dad only flirted back. “Jesus.” You muttered. 

Olivia left to make lemonade, forcibly, and you got up so you could have a “Grand House tour”. “Dad, you don't have to touch everything.” You muttered, walking around as he took off his shoes. “And that's gross.”

Carl only stayed silent and watched as Negan played around with everything. A “heater” ended up being a baby in the last room. Your dad instantly picked her up. You touched her hair as she looked at you. “Haven’t seen one since… what 2 years ago.” You said, taking your hand away. Your dad only nodded as he took the kid outside.

The sunlight flicked as the trees shook, and the breeze was light from the window in the room. You looked around the bedroom that Iris stayed in. Small, but comfortable, away from others like your dad. You laid back as you looked at the books across the room. You were mainly giving the place a nice glance over. You wanted Iris to be safe and sound, with no threats around her. 

“I’m done.” She said, coming into the room with wet hair and a towel. You hummed as she closed the door and sat on the bed, drying her hair. 

“What ya’ wearing?” You asked, looking at the suitcase and back. She shrugged and looked over. “You don’t know? What about ragged jeans? You know the cool hippie ones?” You joked. She slapped your knee and sighed, taking the towel off and looking through the suitcase for the “perfect outfit”. “Niceee.” You hummed. She scoffed and started changing. 

Sitting up, you sighed and stood. “I’ve got to be there when Rick gets back.” kissing her head, you went to the door. “Stay in here until I tell you to come out, I don't want anyone pestering you.” She only nodded as you closed the door and left down the stairs. Your guessing you didn’t miss anything, because the trucks at the gate were still there, along with the men.

You walked past the street, into the other patch of grass where Negan stood talking to a man. A pool table on the road, and a stick in his hand. Your dad smiled, but fury set in his eyes. The small crowd around watched them talk as you got closer. Negan sat the stick down. “The guy who waited for Rick to be gone so he could sneak over and talk to me to get me to do his dirty work, so he could take Rick’s place.” A small pause, you took a second, and looked over at him, then at the man. Fuck. “So I gotta ask – If you wanna take over, why not kill Rick yourself and just take over?” He asked, now in his face as the man shuddered.

“Dad.” You said, only for him to raise his hand in your direction.

“You know what I’m thinking? Cause I got a guess.” He said, leaning back, and then getting back in his face. “It’s because you got” A small pause. “no guts.” He whispered.

“Dad!” You yelled as the man was sliced open by the stomach. The man fell to his knees, holding his organs in his hands. You stared wide-eyed at the man, taking a step forward before he pushed you back. 

“Ohh, how embarrassing!” he went on. You spaced out, looking at the man, and how his blood dripped out. Not that you haven’t seen it before, but it only proved that your dad was getting worse. 

Negan started waving the bat around asking if they wanted to finish the game. 

A loud shot rang, then another, you were dazed, your eyes even wider than before as you looked at your father, the bullet didn’t hit him, but his bat, which was twice as worse as hitting him. You felt the blood trickle down your face, it was cut but only a small scrape. “Aw, fuck.” You muttered, touching your face. That is when he started to yell. Rosita was slammed to the ground, and a knife was pressed to her cheek. 

Your dad carefully examined the bullet. It was hand-made, and not like the ones you took a few days ago. 

You don't feel like being here when another person dies. “I’m gonna go… inside.” You said, tripping over your foot a bit. Negan only grabbed you, checking your face before sending you on your way. Which wasn’t far, you heard their voices as you entered the Grimes home and sat on the couch, another gunshot, You sighed and left to the bathroom to clean your wound and stitch it up. 

You didn’t see Carl until the morning, very early in the morning. He was sneaking around, putting his shoes on, and leaving. You groaned as you sat up, pulling your shoes on your feet and taking a cigarette out. You grabbed your tank top and pulled it on before heading back out, slowly shutting the door without a sound. You looked back and forth. You could see him moving around the streets. 

You followed him, staying out of the light, and into the other side of the town, where the solar panels sat. You looked around, but there wasn’t anything to see. He probably wandered to another place, and you didn’t exactly enjoy following him around… kind of.

You sighed, turned around, and started walking. You ended up in front of the gate. “Hey!” There was a shadow on the post, looking down at you. “You can’t go out there.” They yelled, then Shown a light in your face.

You covered your face, looking at them with one eye. “C’mon Rosita, Just a drive?” You said, waving your knife around with a grin. She only paused, then sat the light down and climbed the latter down. 

“If you get bit,., I’m not letting you in, I don’t give a shit who you are.” She said, opening the gate as you walked out. 

“Eh, I think I’ll be fine. Have a nice day, doll.” You said, leaving out into the street. You could barely see, but there was no noise. No shuffling of bushes, the break of a stick, or your dad scolding you. 

You hummed, closing your eyes and breathing in the air. You were about half a mile out by now, and the sun was starting to rise. You could see a small clearing of the sky through the leaves of the trees. “Fuck.” You muttered, looking at the small group of ten biters down the road. You jumped the ditch and headed into the woods. You ran farther into the trees, only almost falling into more walkers before finally resting against a tree and onto the ground. 

“Jesus fuck.” Your side hurt, with the cuts on your torso bursting with rage and your legs wanting to kill you right now, you decided to rest there for a bit, until you could walk forty minutes back home.

—-- Carl’s POV—--

Carl woke up early. He sat in his room staring at the ceiling for more than an hour until he got bored and got up. He grabbed his flannel and pants, before leaving downstairs. He turned on the flashlight, tip-toeing past his parent's room and towards the stairs. Shining the flashlight in the living room where You slept, he walked in, checking the time. 5 am. He looked at you. You didn’t sleep with a blanket, just a pillow and pants. Your face was covered by hair, but he could see your eyes and the way you slowly breathed. He could tell, just by looking at you, that you could be a value to someone, like a bodyguard.

He shuffled back, hitting the coffee table then looking back at you, hearing you grunt. He let out a breath before going around the couch to the door, grabbing his shoes, and setting down the flashlight. He stood on one foot, trying to balance as he put his shoe on. He heard you shuffle around on the couch before he left out the door.

Carl sighed as he walked down the stairs and turned the flashlight off. He checked his side, making sure the knife still stayed on his hip. He made his way through the solar panels and ran to the wall, climbing over it before landing on the ground, brushing off the leaves as he headed into the woods.

He didn’t know where he was going, he wasn’t even supposed to be out. But he felt. Good. Being out the walls, away from Negan and his son. He killed a few walkers on his way. The light peering in allowed him to see the ground and around the trees. He stood for a second, in and out, before walking again. It was quiet, or maybe he was out of it. Because as he walked, there was no sound whatsoever.

He was deep in the woods when he encountered a large group of walkers that he could not take alone. He felt like with every turn he took they multiplied as he ran. 

“FUCK!” You yelled, getting slammed into and crashing to the ground. “What the fuck-” You looked over to see Carl trying to stand, then looked over to the large crowd. “Oh fuck.” You breathed. You grabbed Carl, pushed him to your chest, and rolled into the trench beside you, getting into the hollow part.

Your back was out and Carl was pressed against the wall of the cave, his back was covered. You put your finger up to your lips as they passed above you. “Fuck, that hurt.” You whispered

He looked confused. His bright eyes looked into yours. You examined his face. He had small freckles at the edge of his face, along with a bit of stubble on his chin. His eyes were blue as blue could be, with even darker around the edges. “You know, your nice quiet.” You whispered with a laugh.

He only rolled his eyes and looked away from you, taking his knife out of his pocket. “Shit. I need you to grab mine.” Your hand was currently occupied, one on the roof of the cave, not sure if it would stay up, the second around and under Carl’s torso. 

He sat his knife on your side and reached down, feeling around your shirt. “Where is it?” He whispered back. “In the front, or on my side.” You said, looking back behind you, you groaned. “Fuck.”

“What?” He asked, pausing. You laughed, turning back to him, and you got closer to his body, pressing against him, your head close to his ear. “What are you doing-”

“One, They’ll see me if I don't get closer, 2,” You said, looking at him with one eye. “Let's just say you weren’t just grabbing my knife.” He quickly pulled his hand away with a weird look and gave you his knife. 

You could feel his breath on your neck, how sometimes it would stop and pause, then continue. You could feel his chest move, and his legs shift against yours. You could tell you’d be here for a while. And hopefully, none of them will wander down here, but if you got out now, you both would be trapped with them down here.

You could feel your stomach growl and turn, “Shit, you got anything to eat?” You asked. He hummed and reached down again, digging in his pocket. He handed you a protein bar, it was already opened but barely eaten. You pushed yourself back, face to face once again. Then you broke the bar in half. “Here, eat some.”

“I’m not-” You cut him off. “It's barely been eaten, I'm sure you haven't eaten since last night.” You said he took it, taking a bite out of it. You huffed, still hearing the groans of the dead. You got in the same position as earlier. “I hope you know this is not me being nice.” You said. 

“I never said it was,” Carl replied back. He shifted once again, this time his hips. His legs were now mostly between yours, his arms to his chest and head against your neck. “Don’t tell my dad either, he’ll get a person to guard the walls, not just the front.”

“Fine, don’t tell mine either, he’ll think I came out here for cigs and looking for old stashes of drugs.” You said, sighing. “It's dangerous! Y/n, what is wrong with you? Why can’t you just follow the rules?” You mocked your dad's voice. “Trust me, he can suck a slim-jim.” You muttered. ‘

You felt Carl's chest bouncing. “Are you laughing?” You asked, smirking. He coughed a bit and shook his head slightly. You hummed and closed your eyes. “You're a badass grimes.” You stated. “Shoving me off a goddamn truck, then killing a bunch of men. I liked one of them you know…” 

A hand covered your mouth, hushing you. “They can hear you know?” He said sarcastically. You only nodded and took his hand off your mouth. 

“I ramble on when I’m with people, I don’t do good with silence.” You whispered. 

About ten minutes later, you peered behind yourself. “I’m gonna look out, I don't hear them anymore.” You said, sliding out of the shallow trench. You stood, then turned. “Shit.” You said, ducking, putting your finger to your lips and a hand out. “Shut up and stay there.”

Carl looked at you with narrowed eyes and backed into the hollow part even more. You passed his knife back to him and stood, looking above him and climbing the trench. It went quiet for a few seconds, you could hear him moving around, the leaves crunching with each step. “Please help!” You yelled, then fell to the ground, face first.

Voices soon started to come closer. 

They were laughing. Two men. That's when he heard you groan. 

“He’s alive? Hey pal, you good?” One of the men asked. Shuffling was heard again. “Hey, aw look at his face V.” 

You smirked, and in a quick move, you stabbed the man in his neck and kicked the other down, “You little shit!” You were shoved into the trench, landing on your arm. You looked at Carl, a sarcastic wink his way and putting a finger to your lips. 

The man jumped down, sliding slightly, before standing straight, “C’mere ya’ brat.” You were grabbed by the neck and thrown back down. You laughed, coughing as you did, and grabbed your knife, hitting him right in the calf and moving over. He screamed in pain and charged toward you. You swung at him, and your hand made contact with his face, but only for him to yank you by it, and moved to him. 

He dug his knee into your back and threw the knife out of your reach. You struggled and he laughed. “Now look at you! Weak.” He said, punching you in the stomach, and face, and kicking you repeatedly. You groaned as he got off of you. You closed your eyes. Your whole body felt like fire, you’ve felt the pain many times before, but it Hurt. 

Carl swung his knife over, hitting the man's farm but only grazing it. “That's why he did that, e was protecting you,” The man said in a baby voice. “What is he? Your brother?” He asked. Carl stayed quiet. 

You opened your eyes, looking at the man. He was much larger than Carl, and Carl had a smaller knife that could barely go into a chicken bone. You slowly got up, watching them fight, and it was more in slow motion for you. As you moved more, the pain slowly decreased and you came back into reality. 

You breathed in and ran for it, pulling the man down with you and turning him over, sitting on him. You threw a punch, then another, and another, and another, it felt like forever before you stopped. 

Carl watched you cave the man's head in, his blood spewing everywhere, on your face, clothes, and hair. Everywhere.

You got off the man. Well, now a man with no head. You shook your hand and stepped away, turning around and examining your knuckles. You then looked up, pacing Towards Carl and grabbing him by the collar. 

“I told you not to come out.” You shook him. “I told you to be quiet and stay.” You only got angrier. You threw him down.

“Fuck you too. I was helping your ass,” Carl said, pissed. You laughed and turned, grabbing your knife.

“Yeah fuck me.” You said.

It was about 7 in the morning by then. You both climbed the trench, helping each other before finding a road. When you finally reached the gate, you were met by Rick, Rosita, and Michonne. You waved and walked past them. “Scold him, not me,” You said. 

“You can just wander off like that,” Rick said, taking your appearance in. “What the hell happened?” He asked, then looked at Carl.

“I saved your son's ass, your welcome.” You said. “Tell him not to sneak out.” You mumbled and left down the street and into Olivia's house, now your wife's home. You walked up the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door. 

“Y/n… Jesus.” She said, looking up and down. 

“Like what you see?” You laughed, she only took your hand and laid you down. “Fuck… How’s…” You paused and pointed to her stomach.

“Hm, they're fine.” She said, taking out a few things from the cabinet. “I think, though, I’m sure they miss their dad.” She laughed, and you jokingly scoffed, pulling her over. “I have to clean you up, stop.” 

You hummed. “I’m so tired.” You said. “C’mon bestie, you don’t need to be so mean.” You whined as she pulled away and hit your thigh. You fell asleep as she took care of you.

Chapter 4

[dwampyverse-tournaments]

Best (Standard) Phineas and Ferb Episode Tournament | Round 2

June 10

My Sweet Ride vs. Moon Farm

Gaming the System vs. When Worlds Collide

The Lemonade Stand vs. The Ballad of Badbeard

Picture This vs. The Doonkelberry Imperative

June 12

Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet Max Modem! vs. Tree to Get Ready

Lotsa Latkes vs. Lost in Danville

Magic Carpet Ride vs. Greece Lightning

Journey to the Center of Candace vs. Elementary, My Dear Stacy

June 14

I Scream, You Scream vs. Hip Hip Parade

Troy Story vs. Sipping with the Enemy

We Call it Maze vs. Bad Hair Day

Got Game? vs. Traffic Cam Caper

June 17

Tri-Stone Area vs. Nerdy Dancin'

Just Our Luck vs. Swiss Family Phineas

It's No Picnic vs. Where's Pinky?

Great Balls of Water vs. Road to Danville

June 19

Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story) vs. The Inator Method

Let's Take a Quiz vs. Knot My Problem

Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror! vs. Perry Lays an Egg

The Belly of the Beast vs. Happy Birthday, Isabella

June 21

Escape from Phineas Tower vs. La Candace-Cabra

Monster from the Id vs. Flop Starz

Candace Disconnected vs. Ready for the Bettys

Day of the Living Gelatin! vs. Out of Toon

TBD

Bullseye! vs. Steampunx

Attack of the 50-Foot Sister vs. Bowl-R-Ama Drama

Split Personality vs. Isabella and the Temple of Sap

Just Desserts vs. Happy New Year

TBD

Doofapus vs. Crack that Whip

Toy to the World vs. Invasion of the Ferb Snatchers!

Mom's Birthday vs. Tour de Ferb

The Best Lazy Day Ever vs. Vanessassary Roughness

TBD

Bully Bromance Breakup vs. Robot Rodeo

Oh, There You Are, Perry vs. Finding Mary McGuffin

Interview with a Platypus vs. Thaddeus and Thor

Backyard Hodge Podge vs. A Real Boy

TBD

Rollercoaster vs. Gi-Ants

Bubble Boys vs. Comet Kermillian

Cheer Up Candace vs. Drusselsteinoween

She's the Mayor vs. The Baljeatles

TBD

Phineas and Ferb Interrupted vs. Misperceived Monotreme

Fireside Girl Jamboree vs. Are You My Mummy?

Does this Duckbill Make Me Look Fat? vs. The Bully Code

Run, Candace, Run vs. Hail Doofania!

TBD

Ferb Latin vs. That's the Spirit!

Candace Loses Her Head vs. Brain Drain

At the Car Wash vs. Minor Monogram

The Lizard Whisperer vs. Doof 101

TBD

Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon vs. Voyage to the Bottom of Buford

Skiddley Whiffers vs. Blackout!

I Was a Middle-Aged Robot vs. Candace's Big Day

Make Play vs. Unfair Science Fair

TBD

Undercover Carl vs. Phineas and Ferb-Busters!

One Good Turn vs. Norm Unleashed

Cranius Maximus vs. Delivery of Destiny

Last Train to Bustville vs. Road Trip

TBD

Chez Platypus vs. Meatloaf Surprise

Thanks But No Thanks vs. It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World

Agent Doof vs. Put That Putter Away

Hide and Seek vs. Ferb TV

TBD

Doof Dynasty vs. The Doof Side of the Moon

Don't Even Blink vs. I, Brobot

Tip of the Day vs. What Do It Do?

Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face! vs. Remains of the Platypus

[artemistorm]

Would you be interested in writing something Four/Shadow? Anything at all!

While I’m not much for shipping in general, I do have headcanon about Four and Shadow black cats that you can take however you want. (1354 words)

*****

At last, Four found himself alone.

He was hiding way back in a narrow alleyway between two random shops in the Village of Men that bordered two sides of the Gerudo Town walls. This was the home of the families, the husbands and non-Gerudo children of the Gerudo women and girls who lived inside the City’s walls. And given that this was a desert, it was hot.

Four leaned against the plastered wall and slid to the ground, sitting behind a couple crates and pots and not visible from the street. He and the rest of the Chain were given “Town Pass” as Warriors called it, freedom to go anywhere or do anything in the local area for two days as long as it wasn’t harmful, destructive, or illegal.

They certainly needed the downtime. Traveling in the blazing desert tended to make young hot-blooded heroes irritable at best or downright defiant and combative at the worst (cough cough Wind cough cough). And Four was tired of constantly being surrounded by people.

Four settled in to consume the hydromelon lemonade and goat meat hand pie he’d purchased in the market and read the newspapers he’d picked up from his Grandfather the last time they were in his Hyrule. His grandfather had saved him quite the stack of the twice weekly papers and Four had only made it a third of the way so far through the stack in his offtime in the evenings and on days of rest.

A stray black cat appeared from between the crates and rubbed against his leg.

“Hello kitty,” Four said and gave it a couple pets. “I hope you’re not here for my meat pie. It’s my brunch and I don’t feel like sharing.”

“Rrrror?” The cat trilled. It rubbed against him a few more times, then settled into to sniff-inspect his boots intently. Four ignored the cat and unfolded the first newspaper in the stack.

LOCAL FARMER BURNS DOWN OWN BARN TO DESTROY SNAKE INFESTATION

VILLAGE ELDER MARRIED AT LAST AT AGE 89

FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER DROWNS IN MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

ALMANAC FORECASTS HEAVY SUMMER STORMS

“Mrrrp?” Four looked down to see a second black cat sitting politely and expectantly next to him.

“Well hello there,” He gave the cats ears a polite scratch.

“Mrrrr?” The cat asked again.

“What? Do you want some meat?” Even though he’d told the other cat off, Four couldn’t say no to those round amber eyes. He offered the cat a chunk of goat meat from his hand pie, but the cat promptly turned around and walked away without so much as a sniff.

“Fine then. I’ll eat it myself,” Four popped it in his mouth and carried on reading.

PRINCESS BEGINS TOUR OF HYRULE’S REGIONAL CAPITALS

FLOODS DESTROY BRIDGE AT ECTON VILLAGE ROAD

ANONYMOUS BENEFACTOR GIVES GENEROUS DONATION TO BOXHILL CHILDREN’S HOME

BELL PEPPER BUMPER CROP EXPECTED THIS SEASON

Four jumped, startled when a third black cat leapt down from somewhere onto his shoulders and then to the ground.

“Kitty! I almost spilled my drink!” He exclaimed, dismayed. The cat ignored him and instead bumped heads with one of the other cats which lounged beside him on the cool shaded packed earth. The new cat lair down between the other two and stretched out long and languid. The cats didn’t seem to want anything from him other than his company, which Four was fine with. He came here to get away from interaction after all.

CATTLE RANCHER’S TODDLER ACTUALLY A CHANGELING

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF CLOTHED MICE FROM CHILDREN IN THREE VILLAGES

EARTHQUAKE RATTLES CASTLETOWN, CAUSES MINOR DAMAGE

LOST HORSE RECOVERED IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES

Four finished his drink and set it aside, then blinked in surprise when he realized there were in fact now seven black cats laying next to him on the ground.

“Where did you all come from?” He asked the one laying with its back against his leg. “Are you all part of the same family? The same cat colony?” The cat looked up at him, slow blinked, then yawned.

“I thought so,” Four said stroking its fur. The cat stretched along the entire length of Four’s legs. The other cats laid along the wall two cats wide except for the cat on the end which was curled up in a perfectly circular disk. The cats were arranged next to him almost like they were his… shadow.

It was just coincidence, Four told himself, but his heart clung to the smallest fragment of hope. He quickly went back to reading.

SUTTON NOBLES ADOPT NEW FAMILY CREST

DEFENSIVE CASTLE BUILT ON LAKESHORE TO BE COMPLETED NEXT FALL

FAMOUS MUSIC TROUPE TO PERFORM AT AMPITHEATER ON SOLSTICE

BANDITS SEIZE CONTROL OF MONASTERY FRUIT ORCHARD

The noises of the village and the market grew louder as the morning wore on. The sun shifted and shadows shifted as the sun drifted back down toward the horizon, but the cats stayed only in the shade, refusing to let even the tips of their tails touch the sunlight. Four crossed his legs so that they wouldn’t burn in the ever-rising sunlight. The alleyway was rapidly warming up and Four started to think about finding somewhere else to escape the heat.

“What do you guys do when it gets too hot out?” Four asked. “Where do you go? A cave or an underground den perhaps?” There were only six cats still there, apparently one of them had left. Still they were arranged beside him in a pattern like what his shadow would take—if he still had one.

Four folded up the paper he finished and moved on to the next one.

RARE WATERSPOUT SPOTTED NEAR COASTAL VILLAGE

LOCAL FARMER CONVICTED OF SETTING RIVAL FARM ON FIRE

Four was starting to feel warm and thirsty. The shade he occupied rapidly dwindled and two more of the cats were no longer there, undoubtably seeking shady respite somewhere else. But Four might be able to read a few more articles before the heat chased him out of his secluded refuge.

SCHOOLBOYS INVENT NEW POTTERY STYLE

FAMILY OF ORPHAN CHILDREN SUCCESSFULLY RUN FRUIT RANCH ON THEIR OWN

It was too hot to finish reading the article. Already Four could feel his arms starting to sunburn. The sun was almost directly overhead; high noon was upon him. Only one cat remained beside him, sitting next to him in the narrow strip is shade still remaining along the wall.

“So you’re the last one, eh?”

“Mrow,” The cat replied.

“I’ve enjoyed your company, hopefully as much as you all seemed to enjoy mine,” Four scratched the cat’s cheeks and head and it leaned into his hand, but only for a moment.

“I’m off now, I’ll probably go to the underground lake I’ve heard some of the locals—and my younger brothers—mention. Go swimming or something.”

The cat licked his arm once, stared into Four’s eyes for another moment, then turned and walked off down the alleyway. Four gathered his things and departed in the other direction, trying not to read too much into what had just happened. He probably would never see those cats again.

Except that he did.

They kept showing up wherever Four went. If he was in the market, one of them would rub against his leg then vanish into the crowd. If he was at the inn, two of them would watch him come and go from their perch in the rafters of the common room. When he walked along the streets, several would follow him for a block or two. Wherever he went, they were there. Four didn’t quite understand their behavior, but it gave him comfort to know that he wasn’t alone.

Even after they left the desert and left that Hyrule, everywhere he went, black cats inexplicably seemed to gravitate toward him. Four conflicted. Was it a sign? Was it a sign? Was Shadow still out there? Still alive somewhere and trying to communicate with him through the behavior of black cats? Or was his own mind playing tricks on him? Was he hyper aware and hypervigilant of black cats now?

Maybe he’d never know.

[girltalkblog]

#GirlTalk: Cowgirls on the Horizon

Discussing upcoming country albums from Beyoncé, Lana del Rey and Kacey Musgraves

(Photo Created by girltalkblog)

-

“I hate country music.” Yeah, so does the rest of the world. I cannot think of one person that listens to country music exclusively while also not acknowledging how corny it can come off as when done a certain way. There are a lot of artists who have done country right, like Dolly Parton or Chris Stapelton. If there is not already, there should be an unwritten rule that those people get left out of the “I hate country” sentiment. Then there are those artists who fit the stereotype of country that causes those extremely valid claims of despising music about beer, trucks and women all in that order. I will not give a list, but one musician that comes to mind immediately starts with “L” and ends with “uke Bryan.” 

No one should be ostracized if they listen to country music; I sometimes partake in the occasional Bobby Bones radio station myself (sometimes being specifically when I am on a road trip anywhere south of St. Louis), and I do believe in giving unfamiliar things a chance. So, I ask you to bear with me while I introduce three new country albums from female artists coming out later this year or that have recently released that are gaining a lot of attention. Two of these women are not known for the country genre, which makes their coming projects even more buzz-worthy.  

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has been in the music industry for over 30 years, starting out professionally in 1990 with the girl’s group Destiny’s Child. Since then, she has had an enormously successful solo career, with her latest album “Renaissance” released in 2022, preceding a world tour of the same name that grossed over $570 million. While being shown in the audience at Super Bowl LVII, she surprised the world with a new album announcement on Instagram: “Cowboy Carter” It will be released on March 29, 2024, conveniently rounding out Women’s History Month, I might add.

The album is the second installment of a three-part project, confirmed by the artist in a message to fans. Her wide audience, or the ‘Beyhive’ was also treated to two new songs off the album the same day that it was announced, “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em.” There has been a mixed reaction over Beyoncé releasing a country-genre album, especially since most of her previous work has been R&B, soul and pop-oriented. However, we must remember that Beyoncé is a Houston-native and has a lot of roots with southern culture and music. This is also not the first time she has ever released anything of the genre, with the song “Daddy Lessons” from her 2016 “Lemonade” album having a rather country twang to it. Although “Cowboy Carter” may come as a surprise to some, it is not an unapproached topic or genre to Beyoncé herself.  

From waitressing at a random Waffle House to wearing a mall-bought dress to the 2020 Grammys to opting for a diamond-covered mesh mask during a global pandemic, Lana Del Rey has always been a predictably unpredictable figure in popular music. She is known for her dream-like and nostalgic sounding music inspired by other famous musicians like Amy Winehouse and Lou Reed. Her most popular songs include “Summertime Sadness” and “Young and Beautiful,” but it seems that every month TikTok picks a new song of hers to trend.

Del Rey’s fans expect rather odd behavior from the singer, so when she announced her upcoming country-genre album in late January, it was no big surprise. “Lasso” is set to release around September of 2024, but knowing how reliable Del Rey is with album releases, no one can really know for sure. A lot of her music involves sounds and topics related to Americana and a more vintage feel, so her newest album will most likely be right up her alley in terms of subject and sonic composition. 

Less of a surprise due to genre, but still anticipated, country music singer Kacey Musgraves teased and announced her latest album “Deeper Well” in early February. Also releasing a song of the same title with a paired music video, the industry was excited for the singer’s fifth studio album, especially since she has not released a full project since 2021. The album was released on March 15, a welcome introduction to this year’s uptick in country music from female artists.

Musgraves’ 2021 album “Star-Crossed” was disqualified from the country category at the 2022 Grammy’s for being too pop, so the question surrounding “Deeper Well” is whether it will be accepted by the country community as true to the genre, or will it be labelled as pop music, just like her previous projects? So far the album has been a hit, receiving positive feedback in terms of genre and is seen a shift toward country-folk-soft rock. While the album could be seen as a step for the singer back towards the country music genre, it is important to recognize the unique elements she continues to implement to differentiate her style as an artist. Either way, Musgraves is one of a small group of recent country music stars that are redefining the genre and attracting a new audience as well.  

Three new albums from some of the world’s most talked about female musicians are taking the world by storm this year, making for an interesting discussion over who is qualified to produce certain genres, and if artists typically associated with non-country genres will get the same recognition as solely country stars. So, while you enjoy “Deeper Well,” mark your calendars for March 29 and sometime in September (depending on how manic Lana is feeling in a few months) for a revolutionary year of country music. Revolutionary is a term I use with hope, out of the hope I have that their music will not traumatize me in the way that Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” did.  

☆ Originally Published March 20th, 2024

[iwanthermidnightz]

Shattering stereotypes is part of this journey, particularly harmful ones that members of this community are transphobic. "I think that it's been really hard to break those stereotypes and stigmas that society has just placed on so many people that have been unwarranted and unwelcome, she says. So we're getting rid of those, hopefully, as more people learn to love themselves and exist and change the way others see one another."

"I think being a lesbian has been such a journey, and I've always known I was a lesbian since I was 5,” she adds. “So I've really grown a wonderful relationship with that word, knowing that being a lesbian is powerful, being a lesbian is beautiful, being a lesbian looks many ways. And it's been exciting to reclaim that word and what that means to me and what it means to the world, truly."

In recent years, the number of other pop artists who are sending the same empowering message has grown exponentially. It used to be that just a few artists among them, Kiyoko, Janelle Monáe, Kehlani, Halsey, and Tegan and Sara — were singing about sapphic love on pop playlists. Today, dozens of singers and bands like Muna, Fletcher, Zolita, Carlie Hanson, Rina Sawayama, Chloe Moriondo, Rebecca Black, the Aces, Sarah Barrios, King Princess, and Dove Cameron are making music that revels in the joy of being queer and loving women.

“It’s been incredible. I think that it’s long overdue. And I’m so grateful that we are normalizing our queerness in mainstream and in pop music,” Kiyoko says. “Growing up, I never could have imagined I’d have the opportunity to sing about women so boldly and still chase my dreams of being a pop star and to be mainstream. And it’s been an incredible journey and ride. And a win for one is a win for us all in just moving the needle forward in representation.”

Kiyoko sees this joyful tone as a welcome shift from the sadder lesbian songs of yesteryear. “It seems as though there is more space for us to celebrate our wins and our joy and our happiness,” she says. She points out that queer artists have always written about joy; it just wasn’t always accepted by the mainstream. “A lot of times in the media, it’s focused on our trauma and how challenging it is to exist. And so it’s finding the happy balance of validating both of those experiences,” she says. “I think we have a long way to go in Hollywood and television and film. But in the music space, I feel like we are able to listen to songs where we can just celebrate ourselves for who we are and celebrate finding love.”

Now that Kiyoko has helped create this freer music landscape, Lesbian Jesus is planning on expanding her queer kingdom. Fans of Kiyoko’s work in projects like Disney Channel’s Lemonade Mouth or The Fosters should know that she’s not giving up on acting. The former softball player even has one show in particular she’d love to be on.

“I watched A League of Their Own on tour, which was so fun,” she says of the new Amazon Prime Video show inspired by the classic 1992 sports film by Penny Marshall. “And that was really exciting to see queer narratives at the forefront…. I feel like that was something that we don’t really get to see.”

To remedy that, Kiyoko is also focusing on directing. She’s already directed most of her music videos and now wants to expand to feature films and television in order to tell queer narratives. The road isn’t easy. “It’s been really interesting to navigate that space as well and how challenging it is for [queer creators],” she observes. “There’s a reason why we don’t get to see a lot of queer narratives in shows because it’s just so hard to get them made.”

She also recently announced that she has written her first novel, a coming-of-age romance based on her breakthrough song “Girls Like Girls.” The novel of the same name is set to come out May 30, 2023 from Wednesday Books. She also has said that her “biggest dream” would be to adapt the novel into a series or movie. Let’s pray to Lesbian Jesus that that happens.

As an artist, Kiyoko says she always has “4,000 things” going on in her head at a time, and that she’s excited to show as many of them to fans as she can. Even as she’s wrapping up her current tour, she’s planning headlining one where she hopes to get to perform every song from Panorama. Lesbian Jesus has worked hard to build her message of self-love and queer joy, and she’s going to spread this gospel as far as she can.

(LINK)

[legendofthe3divas]

ciao ily

THIS THAT 23/07/24'

Would you rather swim in a giant wave pool or go to the beach?

Would you rather wear a swimsuit in the snow or a snowsuit at the beach?

Would you rather jump into freezing cold water or be at the beach in joggers on a hot day?

Would you rather see fireflies at night or butterflies during the day?

Would you rather have to do an hour of homework or an hour of chores every day in the summer?

Would you rather go to a music and arts camp with your favorite artist or a sports camp with your favorite athlete?

Would you rather eat a pickle flavored snow cone or spinach flavored ice cream?

Would you rather go hiking for 2 hours a day or read a book for 2 hours?

Would you rather build a sandcastle or make yourself a sand tail?

Would you rather swim in a salty sea or chlorinated pool?

Would you rather tour a large city for a summer vacation or go camping?

Would you rather have a water balloon fight or an actual water fight?

Would you rather eat a lolly or ice cream?

Would you rather learn how to surf or learn how to wave dive?

Would you rather build a sandcastle or shell dive?

Would you rather spend the summer as a counselor at camp or work at your favorite store?

Would you rather spend the summer learning a new language or a new instrument?

Would you rather have get an extra day off of school in the summer or have no homework for a week?

Would you rather eat a watermelon with seeds in it or drink super sour lemonade?

Would you rather get stung by a bee or get 30 mosquito bites?

Would you rather walk barefoot on hot sand or have slipper feet in sandals?

Would you rather watch the stars at night or sing camp songs around a campfire?

Would you rather eat hot dogs every day for dinner or watermelon every day for breakfast?

Would you rather have to wear your bathing suit every day in the summer or wear a snorkel on your head?

Would you rather take a week-long road trip or spend the day at your favorite amusement park?

done xxx

YAYYYY another this or that!! for the people who don’t know me and @randomescapingwords have been doing this or that’s (not for a long long time) but no one gives two shits

1. go to the beach

2. snow suit at the beach, i can just sit in the sea and cool down

3. jump into freezing cold water

4. fireflies at night

5. hour of homework (which i probably should do tbf if i wanna get it done in time but i can’t do it everyday so)

6. music and arts camp ofc

7. spinach flavoured icecream

8. read a book as i should probably start reading more

9. make myself a sand tail

10. oooooo ummm salty sea more summer vibes

11. go camping

12. water balloon fight

13. icecream

14. surf ig idk what wave dive is

15. sandcastle yet again idk what shell dive is

16. work at fav store

17. new language ig

18. no homework for week

19. eat a watermelon with seeds? cos they all do and i do anyways?

20. 30 mosquito bites (last summer when i went abroad i got 12 mosquito bites within 6 minutes of being outside)

21. barefoot on hot sand

22. watch the stars

23. hotdogs everyday for dinner

24. wear my bathing suit ig

25. week long road trip

[apexart-journal]

Dario Mohr in Bogota, Day 18

This morning, I walked to the Foro Inversiones Inteligentes en Estados Unidos event, which was an informative conference about investing. A lot was in spanish but I learned some things.

I then went back to the Airbnb to relax a bit and then road a bike to the Beyond Colombia Walking Tour, which had two options: The Historical tour and the Food tour. It was a tough decision but by that point I was hungry so I opted for the latter. We started off at an empanada spot where I ate a jelly filled "pan" which is almost like a jelly roll with the most buttery bread you can imagine. We then went to a restaurant called Carbon de Lena where I finally tried capybara meat (which tasted like chicken btw), with a coconut lemonade and Cola & Pola which is a beer and a soda combined into a single drink, almost reminiscent of a shandy. I learned about a few landmarks along the way as well as the booming Emerald Industry, and the cafe's that have private offices in them where people haggle emerald prices with sellers they meet in the street. While at the cafe, I had a local favorite: Coffee with a block of cheese meant to be melted inside. Never had anything quite like it but it was actually really good! We walked quite a bit stopping at a few places, and learning some history and geography of Colombia thanks to a map that our guide brought with him. It was really interesting learning that Colombia has the most mountain ranges in South America, with the Andes splitting into three ranges that make it very difficult to travel between some of the major cities by car. Our guide was really fantastic providing me information on nearby cities where you can get different non grape fruit wines like feijoa, and apple. He also shared information about the refugee crisis in the park downtown and just how hard it has been for them to acclimate to the cold. They are apparently receiving very little support from the city, and its unfortunate because I literally ride past that park daily.

We ended the tour at Arte y Pasión Café, which is a barista academy and cafe. We watched the barista make two types of coffee through 2 press methods that involved a slow filter method, really allowing the water to absorb the flavor notes that would otherwise be lost due to the fast, scorching process of coffee making we are more familiar with in the states that results in it generally tasting and looking burnt. He explained that black coffee is the worst quality and is basically made up of all of the less desirable coffee beans (misshapen, underdeveloped, off colored, etc) which was enlightening for me to learn as I know very little about coffee and just assumed dark roast coffee was just stronger and had more caffein. The coffee took about 2-4 minutes to finish trickling through the filters at a slow drip, and was served in shot glasses. I had never seen coffee with such clarity! It looked like black tea, and the taste was very unique. We were instructed to smell and then sip it almost like wine, and were encouraged to slurp it if we really wanted to flavor experience.

After the tour, three expats from it and I went for a drink at La Casa de la Chicha, where an elderly lady on the 3rd floor lowers a basket with the chicha (corn beer) by rope for customers to take. We then walked around the Candeleria area for a bit and shared travel experiences. We were all educators, and it consisted of a couple from Germany, and a professor from Seattle of Pakistani background. They all have incredible excursions ahead of them throughout the country and it definitely inspired me to come back to check out the other cities of Colombia, and see the diverse ecology. I eventually hoped on a bike and road to Patacones restaurant for a quick dinner. The end of the trip began to set in around this time and I began reflecting on how much I love Bogota and don't want to leave, but at the same time miss my people back home. All in all, this was one of the most memorable days of the Fellowship.

[rapifessor]

Pokéchronology, Volume I: Yellow

Day 12

We're nearing the end of the first volume of Pokéchronology. I beat not just one, but two gyms today: the final two. Which just leaves the Elite Four, the Champion, and whatever postgame Pokémon Yellow has to offer. Depending on the level of grinding required, that could only be two or three more days.

I've been looking at what it will take to complete the Pokédex as well. Between my copy of Yellow and Crystal, it should be possible to obtain every Generation I Pokémon in both versions. However, due to some complexities, I can't do that while maintaining my save files on both. There are certain Pokémon that you can miss out on depending on your decisions in-game, which means I'd have to create new saves to get Pokémon I would otherwise miss. I don't particularly want to do that, so I'm looking into some alternatives.

With that preamble out of the way, I'll go over what happened today. Spoilers ahoy, obvs.

Sea Route 21

This is the final route before I complete the tour around Kanto and start revisiting areas to clean up and get ready for Victory Road. I've used my Thunderbolt TM on Holy now so I kept them in front to deal with most of the Water types I was being spammed with on the way up the route. I tried to give Mycoboss some action as well, since they were going to be my weapon against Sabrina's gym.

There's nothing really of note here, though I do have to give a shoutout to the guy who just has six Magikarp on his team. He's the only trainer outside of presumably the Elite Four and the Champion who has six Pokémon, and they're all just fucking Magikarp. What a chad.

The route ends back at Pallet Town, and I do a little battling in the patch of grass at the very end. There doesn't seem to be anything new in there though, just some Pidgey. I drop by my house to heal and get my items sorted. Maxed out the item storage again, so I tried to clean it up a bit but for some reason you can't get rid of items like the S.S. Ticket which are literally useless now. That was annoying, but I'll have to make do, I guess. I withdraw a couple of TMs that I can buy at the Celadon Department Store anyway so I can sell them.

After that I do a quick restock in Celadon, buying a bunch of Lemonades and selling those TMs before I have Pear Fly me to Saffron City.

Fighting Dojo

Before challenging the gym I just have one thing I need to do, which is challenge the Fighting Dojo. I could have done this much earlier as the trainers inside only have their Pokémon at level 30 or so, but I figured I would deal with it when I challenged Sabrina. Holy plows through essentially the whole dojo with raw Special, and earns me a Hitmonchan, who I name Star Plat. If you're looking for a strong Fighting type, Hitmonchan isn't a bad way to go since they learn Fire, Ice, and Thunder Punch, which gives them great type coverage and their stats are arguably better than Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee has higher Attack, but most of the moves they learn don't have 100% accuracy, which REALLY sucks.

I don't really have a need for a Fighting type on my team though, and getting Star Plat. up to speed would take some time anyway. So I won't be using them, and I head straight for Saffron Gym instead.

Saffron Gym

It's basically just a teleporter maze like the Silph Building was, though much less complex thanks to its single floor and nine rooms. The trainers here have a variety of Pokémon, but as you'd expect they're mostly Psychic types. I brought out Miles to deal with the occasional Ghost type and Prinzessin for the few Poison types that I encountered.

Now, Sabrina's fight is kind of gimmicky. She has three Pokémon, all level 50: Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam. My strategy here was to tank up Mycoboss with a full set of X Specials, because the Abra line has extremely high Special and I can't rely on not being explicitly weak to Psychic to tank attacks. This would enable Mycoboss, with their high Attack stat, to decimate Sabrina's team with Leech Life.

That didn't stop Sabrina from throwing a wrench into my plans though. The only move her Abra seems to know is Flash, which isn't very threatening but it does reduce your accuracy. No matter, I still manage to land the Leech Life and take out Abra with one attack.

Sabrina's other Pokémon aren't much different. Mycoboss took substantial damage at one point during the battle, but easily healed it back. I pretty much just spammed Leech Life until it managed to connect, because all of her Pokémon faint to a single hit. Yeah, the Abra line's HP and Defense stats are literally fucking garbage. The textbook definition of a glass cannon. That's why a move with only 20 Base Power, albeit 2x effective and on a 'mon with a pretty good Attack stat, is able to OHKO them.

So I got the TM for Psywave and beat another gym. But why stop there? I could go straight to the final gym from there, and it didn't take long to beat Sabrina so I might as well.

Viridian Gym

Here it is, the final gym. Humorously, one of the least threatening. The trainers here use a lot of different Pokémon though, not most of which are Ground type. There were a lot of Fighting types actually. But because they have low Special and Holy is a decent Special attacker, they all pretty much get wiped out by Ice Beam or Surf.

By the way, this gym has a sort of maze thing going on too, where you have to take a specific route to get to the end. Beyond that there isn't much really to say, you can pick up a Revive here I guess but otherwise it's pretty standard without much of a gimmick to it. I will say the layout is fairly interesting, and the trainers themselves to physically block you from taking certain routes.

On to Giovanni. He's back once again, stronger than ever. Well, as strong as a trainer whose team is mostly Ground type can be, anyway. That said, he opens the battle with a level 50 Dugtrio, who's faster than Holy and OHKO's them with Fissure. Figures, the ONE TIME I actually get hit with a 30% accuracy OHKO move, it's on Holy who I was going to use to sweep most of Giovanni's team. So much for that, I guess.

Good thing I have two Water types on my team. Out goes Ominous, who drains most of Dugtrio's HP in one Bubble Beam. They survive to get in a cheeky Sand Attack before Ominous finishes them off with a Bite. The next Pokémon is Persian, who I figure Prinzessin is the best match for. They do some pretty heavy damage though, and of course Persian knows Slash so Prinzessin takes a ton of damage and I can't keep her in for a second turn.

Maybe Mycoboss can take a hit. Well, yes, they can, but there's no way they're outspeeding Persian, so keeping them in seems like a bad move as well. I decide that Miles is my best bet, aiming for raw Special and Speed stats. Fortunately, Persian decides not to do anything meaningful on the turn I bring out Miles, so he gets to knock it out with a single Psychic.

Up next is Giovanni's own Nidoqueen, who again decides to do something useless as I nearly OHKO her with another Psychic. I have Miles use Confusion to finish the job. Nidoking is very similar. Which just leaves Rhydon. They miss their Rock Slide, leaving Miles to clean them up and win me the battle.

It was a decently fun fight, although it might just have been because I didn't get to use Holy thanks to some RNG bullshit. Either way, I'm glad Giovanni put up a bit more of a fight than Blaine and Sabrina. He gives me the TM for that silly move Fissure, and with all eight gym badges in hand, I close things out for the day.

One thing I haven't done yet is play at the Rocket Game Corner. I'm not sure it'll be of much use to me, but I know there are a couple of TMs you can only obtain from there. I'll probably give it a go just to see what it's all about, though I'm not expecting much besides a very basic die roll of a gambling minigame.

Then it's off to Victory Road, where I intend to train before I make my move for the championship.

[gracev0609]

Welcome to the realm of Iced Chai!

Stay awhile...

This is purely fiction. I do not know any of the people mentioned, nor do I pretend to know them. Everything I write is 18+ and explicit,so minors DNI!

Stories under the cut

The Iced Chai Universe can be read in order, or as individual fics. Although I do think its more fun to read them in order ❤️

The original, Iced Vanilla Chai with Oat Milk

Iced Chai - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader

You accidentally steal Josh's drink at a local coffee shop and it leads you into a whirlwind romance.

Iced Chai Latte, with a shot of Espresso

Keys - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny

(Polyamorous Relationship)

You go to a friend's key party with Josh, and the both of you leave with another friend of his.

Cinnamon Bun Latte

Room Key - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny (Polyamorous Relationship)

You meet up with Josh on tour and end up having another threesome with Danny.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Sundays - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny (Polyamorous Relationship)

You have been dating both Josh and Danny for a little while now. After a sexy Sunday romp in the sheets you all go to breakfast and then the craft store.

Gingerbread Latte

Giving & Receiving - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny ( Polyamorous Relationship)

You travel to Frankenmuth to celebrate Thanksgiving with the boys families and you discover some life changing news.

Peppermint Mocha

Love to Keep Me Warm - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny ( Polyamorous Relationship)

You spend Christmas in Frankenmuth and Josh tells your families about your new addition.

Strawberry Green Tea

Be My Valentine - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny ( Polyamorous Relationship)

You spend Valentine's Day with the boys and after you tire for the day Josh and Danny spend some time professing their love to each other.

Honey Lavender Latte

Forever With You - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny ( Polyamorous Relationship)

Danny decides to propose to you and Josh with the notion of getting permanent jewelry. You invite all your friends and family to your home to celebrate your love.

Iced Matcha Latte

Greatest Gift - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny (Polyamorous Relationship)

You celebrate your baby shower, admittedly too close to your due date, and you end up welcoming your new addition to the family.

Caramel Vanilla Iced Breve

My Heart's Always Yours - Josh X Queer Plus Size Reader X Danny (Polyamorous Relationship)

After having your baby you haven't been feeling good about your body, Josh and Danny are determined to change that.

Rocky Road Mocha

Plaything - Josh X Danny X Queer Plus Size Reader (Polyamorous Relationship)

Josh and Danny go out on a date, and Josh is determined to make this evening go the way he planned.

Lavender Lemonade

I Can Be Myself With You - Josh X Danny X Queer Plus Size Reader (Polyamorous Relationship)

Y/N, Josh, Danny and Hazel go to their local Pride in the Park.

London Fog

Sleepovers & Baby Snuggles - Josh X Danny X Y/N (Polyamorous Relationship) Ft. Uncle Jake

Uncle Jake watches Hazel overnight for the first time.

Black Tea Sweetened With Honey

Welcome Home Honey - Iced Chai Jake

Jake has some incredible news for his family.

Blueberry Vanilla Iced Latte

I Love You More - Josh X Danny X Queer Plus Size Reader (Polyamorous Relationship)

Josh, Danny and Y/N explore a new kink.

Cinnamon Vanilla Iced Coffee

Seriously, You Look Really Good Like That... - Josh X Danny X Queer Plus Size Reader (Polyamorous Relationship)

Josh, Danny and their Lovie play with their body modifications.

Iced Chai Universe Blurbs-

Oh, Baby! - Y/N reveals to Josh and Danny the gender of their baby.

You Look Good Like That - Josh and Danny get body mods.

One Shots / Blurbs-

Bump In The Night-Josh

Need You-Jake

Valentine's Day '24-Josh

Young in the Night-Josh (80s AU)

Claim Me-Josh

Lavender Girl-Josh (Requested)

Free Love-Josh

Ease Your Pain-Josh (period sex)

Danny Blurb

Easily in Love - Josh X Love (Requested)

Strawberry Moon - Josh (witchy & breeding kink)

Collaborations with @losfacedevil -

I Was Born to Love You Series, Dad! GVF

I Was Born to Love You Part 1

I Was Born to Love You Part 2

I Was Born to Love You Part 3

IWBTLY Josh Blurb Morning Light

I Was Born to Love You Jake's Version Pt 1

I Was Born to Love You Jake's Version Pt 2

I Was Born to Love You Jake's Version Pt 3

IWBTLY Uncle Josh and Emma Blurb

I Was Born to Love You Sam's Version Pt 1

Collaborations with @lipstickitty -

Join our Taglist HERE ❤️

Between the Two of You - Jake X Chris X Reader

Between the Two of You - Jake X Chris X Reader Pt.2

Need You Close - Josh X Danny

Need You Close Pt.2 - Josh X Danny

Need You Close Pt.3 - Josh X Danny

Need You Close Pt.4 - Josh X Danny

Get Your Blood Pumping - Josh X Reader

Dirty Love - Josh X Danny (Angst/ Heartbreak)

For the Fans - Only Fans Danny

Whatever You Need - Danny X Reader

Love Blooms - Josh X OC (Caroline)

On the Rocks - Tattooed and Pierced Danny

[suckitsurveys]

Have you ever gotten lost while on a road trip? I've taken wrong turns before, but never been fully lost. Thank you, GPS.

When did you last have some lemonade? Not too long ago.

Who is your celebrity crush? Harry Styles, Pete Davidson, Aubrey Plaza, Will Arnett. Yes, I am unhinged.

If you had to choose a random color to dye your hair, what would you choose? It's been almost every color.

What do you do when you feel restless? I mean, depends?

Do you take a lot of pictures of sunrises/sunsets? Not a lot, but I have.

Do you like the color orange? Sure.

Are you currently wearing a watch? No.

When did you last have cereal? This morning.

What last made you anxious? Life.

What is something you were surprised to learn? I didn't really pay much attention to Harry Styles before like later 2022, so I was surprised to learn he dated Kendall Jenner.

Do you get flu vaccinations every year? Yeah

Have you ever been on a double date? Yes.

What radio station do you listen to most? I don't really listen to the radio much, but I guess Kiss FM.

Have you ever shunned a family member or vice versa? I wish I fucking could.

Favorite shade of blue? I love most shades of blue.

Favorite soup? I LIKE LOBSTAH SOUP. CHUNKY LOBSTAH SOUP, with like, lobstah chunks in it.

Do you like mangoes? Eh. They aren't my favorite, but I don't hate them.

Do you prefer pancakes or waffles? Waffles, for sure.

If you create music playlists, what is the title of the last one you made? I made a playlist of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour set list.

Would you or have you ever traveled to China? No and no. I wouldn't want to be on a plane that long.

What’s your height? Like 5′2''.

What color do you wear most often? Black.

When taking a shower, do you turn on the water before getting in? Yes.

What do you want most? Good health.

What is an overused word you hear a lot? I don't know, I don't think of words as "overused" really.

What do you currently hear? Fingertips by Lana Del Rey

What were the last 3 things you ate? Chips and salsa/cheese, cereal, and a pop tart.

When did you last take a selfie? About a month ago, unless you count BeReal.

How is your mental health? Ahahahahahahahhhahahhhahahahahahahahahhhahahhahahahahah.

How much water do you drink in a day? Could always drink more.

What are you thankful for currently? My family.

What animal do you think is the ugliest? Humans.

If applicable, would you quit your job if you won the lottery? I don't know, actually. I like having something to do. Maybe I'd cut back my hours.

What is your favorite sleeping position? On my stomach.

What are 3 scents you like? Vanilla, coconut, and gardenias. Also warm rain.

Have you ever thrown someone a surprise party? Yes, kinda.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have politically? Abortion is essential healthcare.

What’s a type of cheese or cheese alternative that you enjoy? I love cheese! Goat and bleu are my favorites.

What is a kid activity that you would still do now as an adult? I can't think of something that is specifically a "kid" activity.

Do you like the scent of fresh cut grass? I do. It makes me think of summer.

If you were to go to a Disney themed costume party, what would you dress up as? Maybe Jessie from Toy Story.

What is an ability you believe everyone should have? Fucking empathy.

What is the first thing you do after coming home from a trip? Get laundry together.

Name a song that’s fun to sing along to. JUST ONE?

Do you know how your parents met? Yeah, my mom was friends with my dad's sister.

Do you believe love is blind? It can be.

Have you ever made a bet and lost? Yeah. Nothing serious, though.

If you owned a restaurant, what would you serve? Probably a cafe where you could play board games. Maybe with pastries and sandwiches.

What’s the fanciest event you’ve ever attended? Recognition luncheons for my dad when he was working.

What food tastes better than its appearance? Soup. All soup looks so gross.

Do you actively post on social media? I am most active on my IG stories.

Do you believe in horoscopes? Not super seriously, but they are interesting.

What’s a hobby you would like to get into? I wish I could sew/crochet/knit.

Would you take the opportunity to become immortal? No.

Do you experience intrusive thoughts? Sometimes. I think we all do.

What is a movie that makes you laugh? So many do?

What is the best name you’ve heard an animal named? UGH I love unhinged animal names.

Do you keep track of how many steps you take? No.

What’s something that isn’t really needed that you would not want to live without? Internet.

What would you name a yacht if you had one? I'd name it "Spanish for 'Remember Your Mother'" as a reference to 30 Rock.

Morbid, I apologize. How do you think you’ll die? Something health related.

What’s something embarrassing you’ve said to someone? Every word that ever comes out of my mouth.

If you could have anything in a store for free, which store would you choose? A house store.

For 1 day, what animal would you choose to be? A sea creature.

What woke you up this morning? My alarms.

Would you rather have many hobbies or 1 true passion? A handful of passions.

I feel like every school has one. What was a school scandal your town’s school had? My town has LOTS of schools, bro.

Do you save or spend more money? Both lol.

Do you listen to podcasts? Yeah, I used to listen to a TON when I worked from home. Now I only really listen to Office Ladies and Smartless and sometimes Conan.

What is your favorite dish to cook? Pesto.

If you have pets, what would you ask them if they could speak? I'd ask my one cat why she hates me so much lol

How do you deal with stress? Eat.

What compliment did you last receive? Mark called me cute earlier.

If you were president, what’s one thing you’d change about your country? OH GOD SO MUCH.

Would you rather get a facial or massage? A massage.

If you were offered a super bowl ad, would you create a commercial and what would it be like? I don't know but I'd sure as fuck get rid of those Jesus "He Gets Us" commercials or whatever they are.

When did you last feel an adrenaline rush? Driving fast the other day oops.

Who is tallest in your family? My dad.

What’s the oldest article of clothing you own look like? I don't know.

When did you last mess something up? Blah.

Do you write in a journal? This is it.

What’s something you’re confident in? My job.

Have you ever received a strange gift? Nah.

Do you currently have a headache? Not at the moment.

What’s something you have on your bucket list? Travel more places.

[theultimatefan]

Performance Hydration Leader Ready® Launches New Low-Calorie Sports Drink

Ready® (@ready nutrition), one of the fastest growing sports nutrition companies in America with co-owners and Ready® Athletes Aaron Donald and Giannis Antetokounmpo, today announced the launching of a light version of Ready® Sports Drink, its advanced and science-based line of performance products designed to optimize hydration replenishment and energy production.

Ready® Light Sports Drink features the same essential elements to replenish fluid and electrolytes and boost energy based on the latest in sports nutrition and performance science, but with only 20 calories. That includes:

• A scientifically formulated blend of superfruits and B-vitamins • Superfruit carbohydrates infused from real food sources, meaning there is NO added sugar • An ideal and proprietary electrolyte blend that more accurately mirrors what athletes lose in sweat

“We’ve received great feedback with our initial launch of Ready® Sports Drink last year with its improved sports-hydration fueling, so we took the next logical step with this lower calorie option that still features super fruit carbohydrates and the ideal electrolyte blend without any added sugar,” said Pat Cavanaugh, Ready Founder and CEO.

Ready® Light will be available initially in 16.9 oz. sizes with four (4) flavors—Classic Lemonade, Mango Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade and Watermelon Lemonade. More flavors will be added later in the year. Ready® Light will be available at selected major regional grocery chains including Publix, Food Lion and Giant Eagle.

Kicking off in March, the Ready® Light “Lean and Clean” Mobile Tour highlights its newest best-in-class sports drink introduction into the marketplace. The tour hits the road with an eye-catching Ready® Light branded super van and will tour multiple states with product sampling and giveaways including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The tour will stop at numerous colleges and universities and Ready® Sports Drink retailers including Walmart, Dollar Tree, Publix, Food Lion and Giant Eagle.

The tour will be hosting over 100 sampling events during its mid-March through mid-May schedule. The stops will include samplings of Ready® Light Sports Drink as well as other Ready® products including regular Ready® Sports Drink and Ready® Protein Bars. There will also be games and activities to complement the sampling events.

“We wanted to make a splash and have fun introducing our light version of Ready® Sports Drink,” noted Cavanaugh. “Our vehicle is definitely going to turn heads and we expect to have a good time supporting our retailers, interacting with the public, and sampling our new Ready® Light Sports Drink which is already creating a buzz.”

One of the tour’s first stops will be at the Miami Tennis Open, March 19 – April 2, supporting the brand’s being named the Official Sports Drink of the Tournament and Ready® Athlete Jessica Pegula, America’s top-ranked player.

[taiwan3000]

2023

ALBUMS

Maps Billy Woods Kenny Segal (FaceTime, Year Zero, Hangman, NYC Tapwater)

Heavy Heavy Young Fathers (I Saw, Tell Somebody, Ululation)

Radical Romantics Fever Ray (Tapping Fingers, Even It Out, Shiver)

The Infinite Spine Lauren Auder (730kingfisher, 118-madonna, hawthorne81, we2assume2many2roles)

Erotic Probiotic 2 Nourished by Time (The Fields, Soap Party, Quantum Suicide)

Wallsocket underscores (Cops and robbers; Locals (Girls like us); Geez louise)

Javelin Sufjan Stevens (Goodbye Evergreen, Will Anybody Ever Love Me?, So You Are Tired)

10,000 Gecs 100 Gecs (Hollywood Baby, I Got My Tooth Removed, Mememe, Frog on the Floor)

Love in a Vicious Way Mother Tongues (Worm Day, Dance in the Dark)

Hellmode Jeff Rosenstock

Cartwheel Hotline TNT

After the Magic Parannoul

The Comeback Kid Marnie Stern

Aperture Hannah Jadagu

Live At Bush Hall Black Country, New Road (Dancers)

trip9love...??? Tirzah

Raven Kelela

Sundial Noname

The Ones Ahead Beverly Glenn-Copeland

12 Ryuichi Sakamoto

All of This Will End Indigo De Souza

SONGS

Strong; Enjoy Your Life; Loveher; She's on my Mind Romy

Pink Lemonade Blockhead RXK Nephew

Mindful Solutionism; Pigeonometry Aesop Rock

I See Myself; Mysterious Love Geese

Pet Rock L'Rain

It Must Change; Scapegoat ANOHNI and the Johnsons

Avalanche of Love WITCH

I've Got Me Joanna Sternberg

Can I Talk My Shit? Vagabon

Workin' on a World Iris DeMent

Vampire Empire Big Thief

Paint the Town Red Doja Cat

Oral Bjork + Rosalia

Mama's Eyes Mette

With the Other Hand Lost Girls

Scaring the Hoes Danny Brown + JPEGMAFIA

Redemption Tour Klein

Squid Pangaea

Halo Flip Vegyn Lauren Auder

Dickhead Blues Kara Jackson

Sandrail Silhouette Avalon Emerson

So Hard to Tell Debby Friday

We Gon Eat Living Legends

Found Fucked Up

Make U 3 Me Alice Longyu Gao

What We Were That What Wept for the Sea Colin Stetson

Andy in Stereo Hand Habits

Blackbox Life Recorder 21f Aphex Twin

Quiet Moves Che Noir

Crumbs Rebecca Black

Lo Siento Princess Nokia

Djennaration Liturgy

FILMS / TV / VIDEO

Adrianne Lenker Ruined (music video)

***All Light, Everywhere

***American Factory

Arrested Development S4

***Barbie

The Bear S2 E6, E7, E10

The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira (short)

***Beef (TV)

Big Fish

***Black Mirror S3 E4 San Junipero

Bottoms

Bourne Ultimatum

***The Boy and the Heron

Caballerango

***Chewing Gum S1 & S2

***Colossal Youth

Contact

The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future

***Creamerie S1 & S2

Crestone

A Dangerous Method

***Decision to Leave

***I Didn't See You There

Disintegration 93-96 (short)

Enjoy Your Life MV Romy

***The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase

***An Epistemological Analysis of RXK Nephew's "American Tterroristt" (YouTube)

Fogareu

Free Chol Soo Lee

Groundhog Day

***Hail Satan?

Harm Reduction Center Chapter 5 (YouTube)

***The Hole

***Horse Money

***How to Blow Up a Pipeline

***I May Destroy You

I Think You Should Leave S1-3

I Was a Simple Man

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S16 E8

John Wick 4

Joy Ride

Killers of the Flower Moon

Last Week with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War

Liquor Store Dreams

Live at Bush Hall by Black Country, New Road

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Malni: Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore

Nettles (short)

No Reservations S8 E5 Lisbon

October Country

Parts Unknown S9 S8 Porto

***Perfumed Nightmare

Puparia (short)

Robocop

Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy

Shortcomings

Somebody Feed Phil

Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse

The Square

Star Trek

Starfuckers (short)

***Survivor Australia S10 E7

Talk to Me

A Thousand and One

Three of Us (short)

***Time

TomDNYC (YouTube)

***Triangle of Sadness

Tuesday (short)

***underscores Wallsocket (album video)

Untold Story of Keetley Valley (short)

When You Left Me on that Boulevard (short)

WHOKILLEDXIX 9mm (music video)

A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here (short)

***The Wire

***Wisdom Gone Wild

The Worst Person in the World

You've Never Been Completely Honest (short)

Yox_Rick (IG)

***Zodiac

LIVE SHOWS

***Billy Woods Kenny Segal

Hiss Golden Messenger

***Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

***Peter Pan Goes Wrong

1776

***Sloppy Jane

ART EXHIBITS

Cecily Brown

Luna Luna

VIDEO GAMES

Closing Doors

***Cohabitation

***Coming Out Simulator 2014

I Had Another Dream About You Last Night

Mimic

Opossum Country

Six Cats Under

Sofia?

Super Jacked Up Tomato Face Johnson

That Lonesome Valley

***Time Is Solid Here

BOOKS

Why Do I Get All the Kisses?

[loufcd]

Pawnee National Grasslands

Pawnee National Grasslands: When I left Estes Park, I was still having trouble from my back and legs from that long drive there from Idaho. #TMLRT2019 #TMLRT #Colorado #Travel #Camping #RoadTrip #BoundForWashingtonDaCity #EastboundAndDown

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]When I left Estes Park, I was still having trouble from my back and legs from that long drive there from Idaho. I decided to take a few more days to rest, and drove the hour and a half to Pawnee National Grasslands, the Colorado stop I’d meant to make in the first place.

One thing that struck me was how suddenly flat and treeless the land became as…

[jrvanfleet]

Pool Daze - j.t.k

NSFW 18+ MINORS, DNI!!

pairing: jake x f. reader

content warning: some drinking, fingering, unprotected sex (don’t do it y’all fr!), temperature play (ice, ice, baby!), praise k!nk, slight orgasm denial, edging, just overall whore behavior ok y’all know the vibeee ;)

word count: 3.3k

summary: you spend a summer afternoon in the pool with Jake before he leaves for another leg of touring.

——————

Tennessee summers are no joke. It’s the third week that you’ve endured constant sunny days that heat up the concrete and humidity that makes the hairs stick to the back of your neck. The only positive thing about the heat was the fact that the house you had recently moved into with your boyfriend Jake had a very private backyard with a pool.

You spend every free moment you can alternating between dipping in the water and basking in the sun chair just at the pool’s edge. On days like today, the sun shines down from a cloudless sky and a consistent breeze keeps you from finding solace back in the air conditioning, making you content to stretch out with a new book. During the hotter days, Jake usually spends his time in the home studio, writing up new melodies and recording bits of arrangements to show the guys at their office, but you know he’s decided to join you as you hear the back door open and glance up to see him in a pair of red swim trunks with two drinks in hand.

Setting the drinks on the small table beside you, he leans down to plant a kiss on your forehead.

“How’s the book?”

You hum at the feeling of his soft lips on your skin, tilting your face towards him to give him a proper kiss.

“A little slow,” you say onto his lips, “but I just started it, so hopefully it’ll pick up.”

He kisses you softly once more before straightening and to grab one of the drinks he brought with him. With a grandiose flourish of his free hand, he extends the glass towards you with a bow.

“I have brought m’lady a refreshment.” He tries and fails to contain his smirk as he looks up at you through his lashes. You giggle at his theatrics, taking the glass from his hand.

“Why thank you sir, I was quite parched.” you say, mirroring his false British accent. You can’t help but hold up your drink to admire his handiwork. “What did you make?” You rotate the glass to see the raspberries that settled at the bottom.

“A ‘raspberry lemonade vodka spritzer’, or at least that’s what the recipe I found said it was. I used those raspberries we got at the farmer’s market yesterday.” You look up at him to find him smiling softly down at you. Taking a sip, you savor the cold tartness of the drink and let out a soft moan of satisfaction.

“Baby, I don’t know if I can let you go back on the road next week,” you say to him as he raises an eyebrow and takes a sip from his own drink, “I think you’re gonna have to stay home and make me cocktails and kiss me instead.”

He laughs, leaning in to do just that.

“That’s very tempting, sugar.”

Pulling away much too soon for your liking, he sets his drink down and begins undoing the two buttons that hold his loose black shirt together.

“You gonna get in too?” he asks over his shoulder as he steps into the pool.

“Sure, gimme a sec to finish this chapter.” You try to focus on the words on the page, but you can’t help but steal glances up at Jake as he wades deeper into the water and dunks himself under, becoming fully submerged. He comes up for air and you admire the way the water travels in rivulets down his chest and arms. Suddenly, the breeze doesn’t seem as cool as before.

You watch him as he pushes back his wet hair with both hands, tipping his head back towards the sun. His skin is golden from days spent hiking when he was out on tour and you can see the veins in his hands that trail up his forearms, making your heart beat a little faster.

Book thoroughly forgotten, you stand up from your chair and grab both drinks, bringing them to the edge of the pool before stepping in yourself. The water sends a shock over your overheated skin, making you shiver. Luckily, you reach him in a few easy strides, the water only coming up past your belly button. His hands immediately reach to grip your hips as he pulls you to him.

“Hi,” he mutters into your hair, your arms wrapping around his neck in a loose hug.

His hands trail from your hips, up your sides, and back down in one long languid stroke while you stand there, enjoying each other’s company. You tighten your arms to pull him nearer and breathe in his scent. He smells of the woods with a hint of cigar smoke, a particular pairing that makes you lightheaded and your knees weak. His scent is grounding and safe. But it’s also extremely attractive. You don’t even care that he’s dripping wet as you bury your face into his neck and hold him close.

You smile as his hands begin to wander away from your sides and hips, drifting around your ass and grabbing a handful.

“I really like this suit on you.” he says, kneading your flesh. Your face warms with the compliment as your body hums under his touch. He grabs shamelessly at you, pulling you firmly against him so that you can feel him beginning to harden between you. Your lips leave a soft trail of kisses up his neck and his hum of encouragement makes you softly bite at the skin of his jaw. Jake has no intention of taking things slow as his hands move lower and he lifts you up so that your legs are wrapped around his waist.

His lips find your own and it feels as if it’s the first time you’ve ever kissed, not the twentieth time today. You could spend forever kissing him. When he’s away on tour you miss him like crazy, the FaceTimes and phone calls nothing in comparison to his real presence. You only have three more days of this bliss before he’s back on the road, sharing his talent and beautiful soul with thousands of people. You will yourself to stay in the moment as his tongue enters your mouth. His lips are passionate and confident against your own, claiming you under the late July sun. You let out a soft moan as he takes your bottom lip between his teeth and pulls.

He releases you for only a second and his full lips are suddenly trailing over your cheek to your ear. His breath is uneven against you but you feel his smirk against the shell of your ear as he whispers, “Hold your breath.”

He barely gives you a second to process his demand before his grip tightens on your thighs and he’s dunking you both under the water. Your arms cling to him on instinct as your head goes under. Luckily, the shock of the movement makes you take a gasping breath in and you hold it as your head goes under. The two of you are only fully submerged for less than a second, but you still come up sputtering for air.

“Jake!” you smack his wet chest, his grip never wavering on your legs that are wrapped around him. The sound of his laugh washes away any frustration you might have had as he continues his assault of kisses along your jaw.

“I just wanted to get you as wet as I can,” he murmurs against your neck and suddenly everything else in the world doesn’t matter. You’re fully focused on him as your blood heats up at the intention behind his words. His fingers start their wandering once more, coasting over your ass and hips to play with the strings holding your bathing suit together. You can tell that he wants more, his fingers tugging on the strings but never fully untying them. You want more too. You want all of it. All of him.

Your thighs clench around his hips as he begins to move. He wades through the shallow water until he reaches the three smooth steps that lead out of the pool. You think he’s going to carry you out and back into the house to finish what he started, but he gently sets you on the steps and unhooks one of your legs to hover above you.

Your hands trace the small rivers of water that run down his neck and he closes his eyes, taking in the feeling of your fingers on his skin. His touch wanders, continuing to tease the strings of your swimsuit, but two can play at that game. You don’t waste any time dragging your fingers down his chest and delicious stomach to the waistband of his red swim trunks. Your touch is featherlight as you tease him. His breath hitches as you trace his growing bulge over his swimsuit. You love the way you can make him react with such small actions. He is fully focused on your movement as your hand dips underneath his waistband and you grip him lightly.

He’s holding his breath, eyes trained on the movement of your hand, watching it stroke him out of view under his shorts. You lean up to kiss a vein that begins bulging in his neck at his lack of oxygen as you fall into a steady rhythm.

“Breathe, baby,” you whisper to him and your grip tightens at his base, encouraging him to break from his trance. His breath comes out in a jagged hiss as his gaze breaks away to meet yours. Fire burns behind his irises and it looks like he wants to devour you right there. You wouldn’t mind that. His hips jerk to meet the motions of your hand and soon he’s grinding into you, his piercing stare never leaving your own. Both of your breathing is ragged as he drops his forehead to yours.

He only breaks the eye contact as you twist your fist around him, causing more friction. His eyebrows scrunch together and his eyes squeeze close as he lets out a series of curses all in one erratic breath.

“Sugar, I’m not going to last much longer.” His voice comes out in a gasp, lips coming down to leave wet, open-mouthed kisses along your throat. “Let me touch you first.” Though his voice shakes, his hands are sure as he grips your hips. His fingers tangle in your swimsuit bottoms in silent question.

“Yes,” you answer, your voice just as breathless as his. His hips still jerk with the motion of your hand as he yanks the fabric off of you. The soft browns of his eyes burn hotter at the sight of you, exposed for him, only covered by a shallow blanket of water.

Almost reluctantly, he grips the arm that is connected to him, stilling it and pulling it away from him with a kiss to your wrist.

“We’ll get back to that, don't you worry,” he mumbles as his attention is focuses right back to you.

Your body shakes with need as his hands grip your thighs once more and your lips connect in a hungry kiss.

“I’m– going– to– miss– you– so– much,” you say between jagged gasps from the feeling of his lips dragging down your throat and chest and his thumbs rubbing taunting circles over your inner thighs.

“Don’t think about that right now,” he breathes against your covered breast, using his teeth to drag your bathing suit top down to reiterate his point. “Be with me, here. Now.”

Though you nod fervently, he can tell your anxiety still lingers, worrying about the future time you’ll have to spend apart.

“Look at me.” His demand has your heart stuttering and you gaze immediately meeting his own. His eyes never leave yours as his head dips slightly, his tongue dragging from the bottom swell of your breast to the peak of your nipple. You fight the urge to let your eyes roll back at the feeling, his gaze too intoxicating to break. The corners of his lips lift in a sly grin at your discipline as he wraps his mouth around your nipple and sucks. Hard. Your hand shoots into his hair involuntarily, gripping him to you as a loud moan escapes you.

“Good girl,” he praises, trailing his kisses across your chest to focus on the other breast. You don’t know how it’s possible for your skin to heat up more than it already is, but it feels as if you’re about to burst into flame under his touch. Though he’s laser-focused on your chest, his hands still tease your thighs and hips underneath the water, gradually edging closer to where you really want him.

You shift your hips under him urging his hands along as they massage swirls into your skin. His hum of approval has you grinning while he brings his fingers to your core, stroking delicately. The world finally quiets, your thoughts taking a back seat while your brain short circuits from the pleasure. All you know is Jake and his deliciously rough fingers.

His fingers circle your entrance, teasing you as you squirm.

“Jake,” you moan.

“Shh, sugar, I know.” His voice is strained as he watches you under him, completely at his mercy. Finally he sinks a finger into you, just to his first knuckle, giving you what you want but not nearly enough. Your groan of frustration is cut off with a sharp gasp as he retreats and pushes his finger back into you, this time as far as it can go. Back and forth he goes, coaxing you through your pleasure and adding a finger until he fills you up fully.

You grip onto him, one hand digging into his bicep, the other still tangled in his hair. His fingers find an easy and confident pace, massaging your front wall while his thumb lightly teases your clit. Your breath leaves you in a mixture of gasps and moans while he works over you.

“Keep going baby,” you moan as he rubs on your clit in just the right way. You can feel yourself nearing that edge of bliss, just a few more strokes and you’ll be there–

“Wait.” His words startle you and your eyes snap down to lock with his once again. He smirks up at you, stopping the motion of his fingers, much to your frustration. You’re practically shaking with need but you try to take a deep steading breath and lean back against the slick tile of the pool while he reaches over and grabs one of the cocktails from the edge.

“Really?” you sigh exasperatedly, “You stopped because you wanted a drink?”

He doesn’t answer, but instead smirks again and takes a long sip, draining the liquid until nothing but ice and raspberries are left at the bottom. You scoff and lean your head all the way back, closing your eyes and trying to cool the heat still flowing through your sensitive body. You feel Jake move back over you, his palms dragging up the outsides of your thighs in teasing apology. Trying to breathe through his playful touch you keep your eyes closed. You don’t see what he’s doing until his fingers find your clit once more. Only it’s not his fingers that touch you. Your eyes pop open and you gasp at the feeling of the ice cube against your oversensitive flesh.

“OHMYGOD,” you squeal, your hips jerking away from him on instinct but his other hand anticipates the movement and grips your hip to keep you there. The temperature of the ice against you is almost too much and you shake with the force of the pleasurable surprise.

“You’re doing so good baby,” Jake rasps into your ear. “Keep taking it.” He massages the melting ice into you while leaving kisses up and down your throat and over your ear. You moan at his words and the relief as the ice disappears from between his fingers. He continues to rub into you, slowly warming you back up. You can barely get a full breath down and you can tell that he’s not unaffected by this as his free hand reaches down to adjust himself in his trunks.

You let out a shaky laugh at the explosion of feeling from the contrast of temperature on your skin which turns into a moan as Jake continues stroking you with calloused fingers.

“Again?” he asks timidly as if he hadn’t just blown your mind. Though the temperature was a shock at first, you were unbelievably turned on in the aftermath. You nod, unable to form words and he moves over you once again to reach into the empty glass.

“I want you to watch.” His voice is like gravel as he takes his free hand and grips the underside of your knee and pulls your legs apart as far as they can go, giving you both an unobstructed view. Your eyes are wide, trained fully on his hand and he smirks at the pink flush that stains your cheeks.

You can’t hold in the high pitched moan that escapes you from the first moment the ice connects with your skin. You watch as he drags the ice cube over your folds and pushes it onto your clit once again. Completely mesmerized and lost in pleasure, you buck into him, urging him to give you more. His hand leaves its grip on your knee and those familiar two fingers sink back into you easily.

You both moan loudly as your inner walls begin to spasm around his fingers, your orgasm finally crashing into you in an overwhelming wave of pleasure.

Your high is longer and more intense than you’ve ever experienced and as soon as the ice melts from the heat of you, Jake removes his hands, yanks his shorts down and pushes into you in one fluid motion. His hips jerk frantically as you continue to pulse around him. His moans and whimpers at the feeling of you only keep your high going as a second orgasm washes over you. Your fingers grip the wet hair at the base of his neck as he, too, reaches his peak, shooting you full with a loud groan.

It takes you both a few moments to come down from the euphoria, words completely lost to you. Your heavy breath mingles as he pulls out of you and you lightly kiss his temple, still wet from your little dunk in the water. His eyes are closed in exhaustion, but that doesn’t stop him from rubbing loving circles into your sides, soothing you.

Your chest rises and falls as you watch the clouds high in the sky above. The breeze is welcome as it washes over your bodies, cooling you and drying the water and sweat clinging to your skin.

“When you miss me, I want you to think about that,” he whispers after his breath evens out a bit.

“How will I get anything done? I’ll just be hot and bothered every minute of the day.” You smile down at the way he huffs a rough chuckle against you. You can’t help but drag your fingers through his hair earning a half-hearted groan.

“That sounds like a ‘you problem’ sugar,” he replies, squeezing your hips lightly.

You smile, soaking up the moments you have with him until you shift under his body, reality coming back to you and the feeling of the tile no longer comfortable against your exposed skin.

“Baby, let’s get out. I need you to show me if your cocktail skills are as good as your snack-making skills.” You push lightly against his shoulders as he reluctantly sits up and scoots off your body.

He leans up and kisses you tenderly.

“Anything you want.”

——————

A.N: hello my fellow whores :) I hope you enjoyed this very *wet* Jake fic… I know I did :) JGR and I have some more fic ideas cookin and we’re so happy you’re enjoying what we’ve written so far!

I hope you’re having a great day and I hope this didn’t make you too weak in the knees so you’re able to continue with that email to your boss or whatever (seriously, get back to work)

As always, Love and Light to you all <3

[vgperson]

Vocaloid Highlights: March 2022

Play with fire, you get ribbo(​r)ned. Highlights Archive

========== Stand-Outs ========== Value-Stained Dilemma Your Fault Past and Present Gleam Tiamat Play With Fire Commonplace Song I'm There For You Anti the Ideal Satellite ∃ɔ!1∀ (Alice) Sta(b)le Breathing Metamo-Ribbon Pheles Judgement Hephaestus Lost Delusion Vita Nomad Return Line to You Pajamy Heretical Incomplete Song of Praise Phantom Orange Speck Distant Evening Thunder

========== Worth Your Time ========== Ivory Story Rando Dance Show Tears the Light of Day Zundamon's Breakfast ~Zun-Rap Alarm~ Jinx Sinfulness Eternally idol Wan-Wan-Wanderer Mermaid Lemonade High Five! Graduation Arsene Fashion Noisy Worries+Wounds=Me Emotion Incontinence Walking on the Moon Tonight Psycho Trance Madder NOISE Subscription Life Fluffy Travelers! VOLTS Connection Noooo Ambiguous Love Bananas Are Power☆Yeah! Mistake Pseudo-Enma Make Sure Wave Flower VIVID A Black Lily to You Rainy Pop Asymmetric Syndrome It's All Warped Alstroemeria Selfied Happiness Extermination System Jump Angel Relics ORBITAL ATTRACTION Cream Soda Epitaph Here Night Labels Paranoid Witch Watercolor Sky If It's You. Love-Hate Class Reunion Dego (Goodbye My Country) Eight-Tenths Business Fawn-tact syzygy The Truth Always Is, Whoever or How Old Intoxicated By Sakura. Ms. Clown Snow White Dash!!! Colorless Youth Acting Droughtroll Being Dyed. Absolute-Zero Curiosity How a Crow Caws Melba Was Happy That Way Celestigirl Memento Mori Eternity Unreal Reality Deus ex machina Petty Mimer Esca Escapism Gonna Barf Fanfare Lemming's Motive Gray Road X-X Angel Floated Medusa Soaring Flower Migr-ocean Route Dummy Dolly Ah, Whatever Puparium Song of Praise Swagger Crew Girls' Play Lucid Dream and Swing Arete Me:Update End Credits Cheers Isolium Azalea Cupid My Lucky Weekend Soak a Tear Tender Witch Syndrome Temporary When I Woke Up, I Was a Zombie. Sticky-Sticky Ohgiri Tour Cry to Flower selfish Miracle of Words whirlwind Gold