#bryce rhodes answers

[aj-writess-blog]

tag drop for bryce rhodes

[writer-ish]

Hi Kat! Here are this week's questions for E x B!

Not Yet Wed Questions

Note: Great Scott! This week, we are going back in time to MC’s intern year. Think of Ethan’s relationship with them at this point and answer the following questions accordingly. It is entirely up to you when in year 1 this takes place (pre/post Miami, pre/post CH 15, etc). Feel free to answer with dialogue or pictures or both :) Have fun!

No worries. All of this is off the record and HR will never know!

The setting for this answers is:

For Both

When I first saw them, I thought__________

What is your coworker's most used swear word?

Quick: What color are their eyes?

Three people at work your coworker hates?

What is your coworker’s strangest or most endearing quirk?

If they had a crush on anyone at work, who would that be?

(Bonus round! Feel free to skip.)

Never have I Ever:

come into work hungover

had a fistfight

been kicked out of a bar

gotten a tattoo

broken someone’s heart

been in love

For MC (Ethan is not there)

Where do you see him in five years (both professionally and in his personal life?)

What do you find the most impressive about him?

Last thing he texted you?

If he asked you out on a date, what would you say?

For Ethan (MC is not there)

Where do you see her in five years (both professionally and in his personal life?)

What specifically do you find attractive about her?

Last thing she texted you?

If she asked you out on a date, how would you respond?

Thank you to @jamespotterthefirst for humouring me and sending me these questions. I hope that it will help with my OPH/writing rut! I'm so excited to answer them for Brooke x Ethan. 🥰

The setting is: post-Dolores/the Naveen reveal, but pre-Miami.

Let's get started!

INT. COFFEE SHOP - MID-AFTERNOON

Two doctors sit at a small table. One has her leg crossed, foot swinging lightly. Her face is open and slightly amused. The other has his hands clasped loosely between his open legs. He is blatantly less impressed than his colleague.

Ethan: This is ludicrous.

Brooke: [laughs lightly] Can't you just humour them?

Ethan: Last time I checked, we had a job that didn't involve answering foolish questions for some sophomore publication.

Brooke: They want to humanize the doctors in the hospital. Make us more… approachable. It's not a bad idea.

Ethan: [in a low grumble] I don't want to be approached or humanized.

Brooke [loud laugh] Shocker.

Are we all set to begin?

Brooke: [clears throat] Er, yes. Sorry.

Ethan: [glares]

For Both

When I first saw them, I thought ____________

Brooke and Ethan: [look at each other for a beat, then speak simultaneously]

Brooke: Well, I— Ethan: She, uh—

Ethan: [clears throat] You go first.

Brooke: [shoots him a look] Well. I, uh, was taken aback by your presence.

Ethan: What does that mean?

Brooke: Well, you know, you're very—you command a room, let's just say. And then you got awfully bossy, but it was good because I was panicking. And, uh—that's pretty much it. Your turn.

Ethan: I thought she was very young and inexperienced. And I was proven correct almost immediately.

Brooke: [elbows him] Can't you say something nice?

Ethan: You said commanding and bossy!

Brooke: It was a compliment!

Ethan: Fine. She was…surprisingly competent for an intern.

Brooke: [sarcastically waves a hand in front of her face] My goodness, I'm swooning.

What is your coworker's most used swear word?

Brooke and Ethan: "Fuck."

Brooke: It's not very professional, but—

Ethan: —it is necessary at times. Although I did hear another one from you the other day that I quite enjoyed. "Son of a whore", was it?

Brooke: [blushes] Whoops.

Ethan: You're lucky there weren't any patients around.

Brooke: [innocently] Patients don't swear?

Ethan: [withering look] I'll let you know when patients need to be held to the same professional standards as the doctors who treat them.

Brooke: Well, whatever. I was in the supply closet anyway and it was because I had gotten a cardboard papercut, which is notoriously the worst kind of papercut—[suddenly eyes him suspiciously] I didn't even know you were there.

Ethan: [coughs] I was, uh, walking past when I heard your inappropriate outburst and I stopped to ensure it wasn't a wayward psychiatric patient lost amongst the halls.

Brooke: [dryly] Hilarious.

Quick: What color are their eyes?

Brooke: Oh, blue. Blue-blue. Like, a very crystal clear blue.

Ethan: I think we get it. Brooke's eyes are hazel but they err on the side of green.

Brooke: "Err on the side of green"?

Ethan: Yes. Like when you wore that sweater the other day, they appeared more— [clears throat] I'm not going to sit here and explain the illusion of refractory light. Next question.

Three people at work your coworker hates?

Brooke: [dryly] Just thr—?

Ethan: [cuts her off] Yes, yes, we get the joke, I hate everyone. Brooke on the other hand, hates no one. I believe she should be more discerning.

Brooke: You would.

What is your coworker’s strangest or most endearing quirk?

Ethan: Endearing? I—

Brooke: Oh, oh—the tie thing!

Ethan: The… tie thing?

Brooke: You do this thing when you're trying to get your emotions under control. It's like a [presses thumb against her other fingers in a crab-claw gesture] grab all the way down and then a flat palm just to smooth it again. [mimics a smoothing gesture down the front of her shirt, keeping her face pinched and stoic]. The "double-tie-grab-and-smooth" is what I call it. As of two seconds ago.

Ethan: Fascinating. As for Brooke, I can think of two.

Brooke: Here we go.

Ethan: The first is to ensure she never borrows your pen, as it will be returned to you as though someone inserted it into a pencil sharpener. I don't know how she isn't covered in ink constantly, the way she gnaws on the ends so violently.

Brooke: First of all, it's not that bad. Secondly, [mumbles] I have had a pen or two explode on me.

Ethan: I am extremely unsurprised. And the second is the sheer number of cardigans left everywhere - around my office, the faculty room, patients' rooms, and so on. She leaves them like breadcrumbs in a children's fairytale.

Brooke: [laughing too hard to speak]

Ethan: Yes, very funny and professional.

Brooke: [still laughing] Could you at least…grab one…next time you see it? I'm running low!

Ethan: What a surprise.

If they had a crush on anyone at work, who would that be?

Ethan: [scoffs] A "crush"? The very concept of a 'crush' is extremely juvenile and I refuse to pander to such incongruous—

Brooke: Dr. Harper Emery

Ethan: [splutters] I beg your pardon?

Brooke: [smirks]

Ethan: Well, yours would be that scalpel jockey surfer boy that's always mooning over you.

Brooke: [turns to him, aghast] Bryce? I don't have a crush on him! And neither does he. On me, I mean.

Ethan: On you, indeed.

Brooke: What's that supposed to mean?

Ethan: Hmm? Oh, nothing. Simply that the way he pressed you to the floor in the observation room of Surgery B would say otherwise, that's all.

Brooke: [blushes deeply] You saw that?

Ethan: I see everything, Rookie.

[There is an extended, awkward silence.]

Never Have I Ever:

Ethan: What is this now?

Brooke: [hides a smile] It's a game. A drinking game. You really don't know it?

Ethan: If you're asking if I'm familiar with a college-level excuse to get sauced and forget about my classes for the next week, then no. I don't know it.

Brooke: [rolls her eyes] It's simple. They ask a question. If you've done it, you take a drink. If you haven't, you don't. And [lightly swings her take-out coffee cup in his face] I don't think you'll get drunk on herbal tea, so you'll be fine.

Okay, let's begin. Never have I ever…

...come into work hungover

Brooke and Ethan: [take a drink]

Brooke: Really?

Ethan: I wish I could affect the same level of surprise for you.

...had a fistfight

Brooke and Ethan: [take a drink]

Ethan: [raises an eyebrow at Brooke]

Brooke: [shrugs] Rowdy childhood.

Ethan: [nods] Same. [coughs] Perhaps… rowdy adolescence. And, uh, [another light cough] early adulthood, as well.

Brooke: Dr. Ramsey!

...been kicked out of a bar

Ethan: [takes a drink]

Brooke: Oh?

Ethan: That rowdy early adulthood I spoke of? Yeah.

Brooke: Ah.

...gotten a tattoo

Brooke: [avoids eye contact, takes a drink]

Ethan: [turns to her swiftly, looking shocked, then quickly composes himself] Let me guess - dolphin on your ankle?

Brooke: Shut up.

Ethan: Christ, am I right?

Brooke: No, but you might as well be.

Ethan: [laughs, which seems to surprise them both, then clears his throat] We all have regrets, Dr Spiers.

Brooke: [grimaces and slouches in her seat]

Ethan: [stares at her for a beat longer than necessary, before leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful expression]

...broken someone’s heart

Ethan and Brooke: [quickly look at each other; neither drinks]

Brooke: No? You?

Ethan: What's that supposed to mean?

Brooke: Just surprised all this [gestures vaguely at his face] didn't get the ladies all worked up in—where are you from?

Ethan: Rhode Island. And no, "all this" [gestures to his own face] took awhile to grow into itself, I assure you.

Brooke: [laughs] Oh, big same.

Ethan: [gives her a sidelong glance, a soft smile playing at his lips]

...been in love

Brooke: [takes a drink]

Ethan: Really?

Brooke: What, it's so hard to believe?

Ethan: Well, you said you'd never broken someone's heart.

Brooke: [smiles at him softly, a bit sadly] Never said my heart hadn't been broken, Dr Ramsey. Some people are the heartbreakers, some are the broken-hearted.

Ethan: [splutters] Preposterous.

Brooke: [looks surprised] What is?

Ethan: That you—I mean, that is—that someone— [he pauses, fidgeting with his tie before smoothing it down] It's his loss, Rookie. [clears his throat, looking away]

Brooke: [smiles, bemused yet pleased, a warmth in her eyes] Thank you, Dr Ramsey.

For Brooke (Ethan is not there)

Where do you see him in five years (both professionally and in his personal life?)

Oh, [scoffs out a laugh] wherever he wants to be. He's Ethan freaking Ramsey. He can do whatever he wants. What's the highest position in the hospital? Chief of Medicine? That. [Thinks for a moment] Well, no, actually. He probably wouldn't want to be admin. But whatever he could do that would still have him on the ground, helping people, at the highest level of expertise - that's where he'll be.

And, uh, personally?

Oh. Well. [fidgets, looks away]. I'm sure I don't know. Probably married to some supermodel who will put up with him never being home and always being reticent and grouchy. [Laughs humourlessly]

What do you find the most impressive about him?

Oh gosh. [Pauses] Probably how much he cares. I know you see him now and you think, god, what an asshole. And you're not wrong. But the truth is, he has to maintain this facade of a huge, unfeeling jerk, because the fact of the matter is he cares so deeply. [Her expression goes distant and soft]. Honestly, he cares so much I'm worried it will be his downfall one day.

Last thing he texted you?

[Laughs] He hates texting. But I think it was, "What time is this - redacted - thing again"?

If he asked you out on a date, what would you say?

Ah… [laughs uncomfortably] What, like, right now? The way we are? Or as two… random people in a bar?

Right now. The way you are.

[Blushes and continues to laugh awkwardly] Is he—you said he won't see these?

No, this part will be anonymous and the information gathered will be for statistical purposes, not anecdotal.

[Fake bravado affectation] Oh, well, if it's for statistics— [pauses] I would say yes. In a heartbeat. I would say yes. [Smiles, almost apologetically] I mean, have you seen him?

For Ethan (Brooke is not there)

Where do you see her in five years (both professionally and in his personal life?)

Wherever she wants to be. She's a highly motivated and intelligent individual. I give her a hard time, because I see great potential in her and feel as though, as her mentor, she should be pushed to achieve the pinnacle of success. Which is undoubtedly capable of.

And personal?

I don't presume to know what the future holds for my interns' personal lives. [A long pause] But I would hope… [clears throat, picks non-existent lint off his pants, continues gruffly] I would hope she remains happy and healthy, without anymore instances of [clears throat, again] heartbreak. Of any kind.

What specifically do you find attractive about her?

I'm sorry?

What do you find attractive—

No, I heard you, I just find this sort of question wildly inappropriate and I refuse to answer it.

Okay, so we'll just put down 'nothing'.

Hold on, don't—I didn't say nothing. Just say I didn't answer.

We need some sort of answer.

Oh, for Christ's sake—will she see this? Will anyone?

No, it's information that will be used for statistical—

Fine, alright, I don't care. She's obviously an incredibly attractive woman. Are you happy? [Pauses] I mean, specifically? I would say her eyes. Especially when she smiles and they crinkle up on the sides. Also, her laugh. She's not a woman who 'titters'. Brooke isn't afraid to—well, to simply live. She laughs loudly, loves boldly, defends strongly. [His expression grows thoughtful,] She said I was a presence in a room? When she walks into—anywhere, the entire room stands still. It's like the air has been sucked out of it. And within seconds, they're enthralled. Within minutes, they love her. That's Brooke. [Clears throat] Don't put any of that. Just write down "Her intelligence."

Last thing she texted you?

"Be nice." And then some moving picture image of a dog wagging its finger. [Rolls his eyes] I hate texting.

If she asked you out on a date, how would you respond?

[Sighs wearily]

Again, she won't know. It's for statistical—

[Waves hand dismissively before sighing once more] In an ideal world—[cuts himself off and tries again] Look. Any man would be lucky to have Dr. Brooke Spiers as his partner. [Pauses] And that includes me. [clears throat] But we don't live in an ideal world. And a relationship between her and I would not only be inappropriate, but it would also inhibit her potential to achieve the highest levels of success that she is capable of achieving. [Pauses] And I would never do that to her.

[Stands up abruptly] Are we done here? We're done. Rookie! [Leaves to meet Dr. Spiers, who is waiting for him outside.]

EXT. COFFEE SHOP - LATE AFTERNOON

OBSERVED FROM INSIDE THE COFFEE SHOP

The two doctors greet each other with a smile. NOTE: Dr Ramsey immediately appears calmer in the other doctor's presence.

He says something and Dr Spiers bumps him playfully with her shoulder. Dr Ramsey continues to speak, gesturing towards her ankle, and Dr Spiers throws her head back and laughs loudly.

Dr Ramsey watches her laugh with a small smile on his face, before allowing her shove him lightly in the direction that they are meant to take.

They walk side by side, chatting and smiling, until they disappear from view.

[liaromancewriter]

Newly Weds (Not Quite Wednesday): Friends Edition

Work has been incredibly busy the last few weeks, so I'm super late with this. Thanks as always to @jamespotterthefirst for organizing this and putting together these amazing questions (with help from @takeharryandgo and @crazy-loca-blog).

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating / Category: General. Fluff

Setting:

The festivities are winding down after Cassie and Ethan’s wedding at her grandparents’ estate in Newport, Rhode Island. The happy couple is spending the night in a guest house on the other side of the estate before departing for their honeymoon the next morning.

In typical Ethan and Cassie fashion, everything had come together fairly quickly. Since they only had four weeks to organize a wedding, it had been all hands in deck. Now everyone that’s staying at the estate is relaxing in the family parlor with champagne as well as water for those that need hydration.

Cast of Characters:

Sienna Trinh, Jackie Varma, Kyra Santana, Bryce Lahela, Elijah Greene, Aurora Emery with special appearances by Naveen Banerji, Cassie’s mom, Olivia Valentine, and her brother, Max Valentine.

How did you first find out about their relationship? Were you surprised?

Sienna: There was something between them from the first. I still remember after our first shift we all went to Donahue’s and Cassie made a beeline for Dr. Ramsey -- I mean, Ethan pretty much right away. They shared a couple of drinks and there was definitely light flirting going on as well.

Jackie: (shaking head) And that was after he’d ripped her a new one, twice in one day. She really was a glutton for punishment.

Bryce: They confirmed it in our second year of residency at Sunday Brunch, but yeah, you couldn’t be around them and not feel the sparks. Plus, how else could anyone say no to this? (He points to his handsome face and killer body)

Jackie: (snickers) Very easily, meathead.

How was the rumor mill at Edenbrook once they went public? Did you have to defend their honor?

Aurora: You mean after that spectacle in the lobby with the balloon and the flowers? I was at Mass Kenmore by then and even I heard about how whipped Dr. Ramsey was.

Kyra: I had the day off and I was so bummed to have missed it. I heard it was a Hallmark moment.

Naveen: To answer your question, the rumor mill was surprisingly muted, more’s the pity. They’re not exactly subtle and most people had guessed they were in some kind of a relationship by then.

Elijah: And everyone likes Cassie, so they were happy for her. But a few people did wonder if she could have done better. (Stammers when Sienna glares at him) I-I…I mean, Dr. Ramsey does have a reputation for being a bit…intimidating.

What was your first impression of Ethan? Did he fit into the friend group right away?

Sienna: The first time we met him he was our attending. He was on Cassie’s case about something, and I had never been more terrified. But I just knew I had to rescue her. In these last few years, I’ve gotten to know him really well and I can see exactly what Cassie saw him in.

Kyra: (smirks) A killer body and magnetic blue eyes.

The ladies all start fanning themselves.

Bryce: Of course, E and I are gym buddies and super close…

Jackie: (interrupting) Does he know that or are you living in la-la land?

Max: My first impression was colored through Cassie’s experiences, but I can’t say that I liked him based on the effect he had on her. He was the only one for her though, so I had to accept him. However, the first time we met I knew we’d be close – the man knows his scotch and he’s completely gone over my sister.

What’s the most adorable thing they do as a couple?

Olivia Valentine walks into the parlor where the gang is lounging.

Olivia: Holding hands. The first time Cassie brought him to Newport to meet the family, you couldn’t help but notice how one would reach for the other. It was adorable, romantic and just lovely to watch.

Naveen: I agree with Olivia. I’ve known Ethan the longest of anyone here. He’s never been like that before and it’s wonderful to see. I’m so glad he learnt not to follow in my footsteps where relationships were concerned.

Sienna: I think everything they do is adorable. (Getting wistful) I sometimes wish I could find what they have.

Olivia: Sienna, you know I love you like a daughter.

Sienna: Aww. (Gives Olivia a hug) I love you too, Mrs. V.

Olivia: Just say the word and I’ll introduce you to as many eligible men as you like.

Max: You should take her up on that, Si. If there’s one thing Olivia Valentine excels at is matchmaking.

Olivia: Hasn’t worked with you yet.

Max: (grins) That’s because I’m immune to your ways, mom. (Shares a conspiratorial wink with Bree.)

(Bree blushes and clears her throat.)

Which of their dates would you have liked to crash?

Jackie: None of them. They have surprisingly boring dates.

Sienna: Not boring, just private and incredibly romantic. (Turning towards Bree) Their dates tend to consist of making a special dinner at home together or one cooks for the other, slow dancing, mostly on the balcony or in the kitchen while cooking, and then… (stops realizing that Cassie’s mom and Naveen are listening)

Olivia: (fascinated tone) Don’t stop on my account.

Naveen: Or mine. Always knew Ethan was secretly a romantic. Clearly Cassie brings out the best in him.

Aurora: Although I wouldn’t mind crashing one of their opera dates. They always dress up so fancy and her Pictagram feed on those night actually makes opera look like fun.

Kyra: They have other types of dates too, like when they went to that food festival. They’re very low key though.

Did you ever witness a walk of shame (or anything else of the sort)?

Elijah and Sienna both glance at each other and burst out laughing.

Bryce: What’s so funny?

Sienna: (giggling) Nothing. Just, we saw Cassie trying to sneak Ethan out of our apartment the morning after the ethics hearing in her intern year.

Elijah: (tears are leaking out of his eyes with mirth)You should have seen their faces. It was hilarious. They’d clearly forgotten that she had roommates.

What was your reaction when you found out Cassie was moving out to move in with Ethan?

Jackie: I think the question should be turned around. Why hadn’t she moved in with him already?

Aurora: True. They’re obviously going to officially live together now, but Cassie was still living in the apartment until a week before the wedding even if she did spend most nights at his place.

Max: He wanted her to move in during her last year of residency. But Cassie told me that she liked living with you guys and Ethan understood. I think they reached a compromise.

Sienna: Yes, they did. Three or four nights if they could manage it, but especially the night when they didn’t have work the following day. (Gets teary) Just occurred to me that Cassie won’t be coming back to the apartment to live anymore.

Max hands her a handkerchief and she smiles at him gratefully.

Who won the prediction pool about when Ethan would pop the question?

The gang collectively turns to look at Olivia Valentine who is swiping through wedding pictures on her phone.

Kyra: Mrs. V definitely won that pool if one ever existed.

Naveen: I think Ethan surprised everyone, including himself.

Jackie: (smirks) Who knew Dr. Terminator could be defeated by a cheesy movie.

Sienna: He loves Cassie and would have proposed anyway.

Max: Yeah, but not quite like that. Ethan tends to want things just so.

Olivia: Don’t know why you were all surprised? I knew from the moment he visited Newport the first time that he’d propose to Cassie within two years. I’ve had the caterers on standby ever since.

Sienna: (surprised) Really? No wonder we were able to pull this off in four weeks. I thought we were both just really good planning.

Olivia: We are, my dear. But you can’t leave good caterers to luck. Besides, knowing my daughter the way I do, I knew she’d be impatient to get married as soon as he proposed. Also, not to be crass, but being wealthy does tend to speed things along.

Were you in the wedding party? What was your favorite part about the wedding?

Bryce: I tried to convince Ethan that I’d make an excellent best man, but he went with this one. (Points towards Max)

Max: (smirks) I might not be his gym buddy, B, but we share a love of expensive scotch that can’t be beat. Plus, I had an inside connection.

Naveen: It was an intimate wedding, close family and friends only. Very true to who Ethan and Cassie are, so there wasn’t a wedding party in the traditional sense.

Kyra: Sienna rocked it as wedding organizer and Maid of Honor though. (Raises her glass) To Sienna!

Everyone raises their glass.

All: To Sienna!

Jackie: My favorite part has to be this champagne.

Bryce: The dance floor was fun too. I don’t know who made that playlist, but they should get a medal.

Aurora: Thanks, Bryce. It was a lot of fun and Cassie gave me free reign.

Bryce looks at Aurora, clearly surprised.

Kyra: The cake. Sienna outdid herself there.

Olivia: Are you sure you want to stay in medicine, dear? I know people that would keep you very busy if you decided to switch to baking fulltime. You’d fly all over the world, first class, bake for royalty. Just say the word.

Max: (exasperated) Mom! Leave her alone. Sienna is an amazing doctor.

Naveen: Agreed. But it’s always nice to have options, right Dr. Trinh?

Sienna: Yes, Dr. Banerji. (Turns toward Olivia) I love being a doctor, Mrs. V. It’s in the blood as my grandfather was one too. I love to bake, but just for family and friends.

Olivia: Whatever makes you happy, my dear. Just know that you’re an amazing person and love will find you, very soon.

Jackie: On that note. Who wants more champagne?

Tags: @jamespotterthefirst @starryeyedrookie @genevievemd @forallthatitsworth @queencarb @ohchoices @casey-v @coffeeheartaddict​ @openheartfan @udishaman @danijimenezv @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @schnitzelbutterfingers @mainstreetreader @tsrookie @bex-la-get @chaoticchopshopheart @headoverheelsforramsey @thegreentwin @dorisz @silma-words @custaroonie @pixelnutrookie @adiehardfan @parisa-kh @takemyopenheart @dickgraysonsscrumptiousbooty @jerzwriter @choiceskatie @mia143 @mm2305 @a-crepusculo @barbean @beastlyinstrument @electroniccreatorwerewolf @rosebudde @lucy-268 @sarcastic01lily @blainehellyes @crazy-loca-blog @writer-ish

(let me know if you'd like to be added or removed)

[mm2305]

Hi Hi Hi! Since tumblr has been a ride the past 12 hours or so, I thought why not go and do something fun with everyone on here. Which is why I am here with some questions about your MCs

(And also my fat fingers unfollowed you while sending this ask😭)

• What is your MC's happiest memory that doesn't include their LI?

• If your MC had to choose just one person from their friend group who would it be and why?

• Did your MC ever have any pets before they started their life at Boston?

• If MC's LI had to give them one thing as an apology gift after a not so serious argument what would it be?

• I know Ethan is a role model to many MC's but is there someone else in their life who shaped them into the person today?

• Your MC is humming a song under their breath, so much so that it gets stuck on the LIs head. What kind of song is it (is it a fun one, or a soft melancholic one or something from an obscure tv show, or a particular artist?)

-----

It's okay if you can't answer these, the idea is to celebrate our multidimensional MC's beyond their chosen LI and having fun along the way❤

Also, a little reminder, I love and appreciate everyone of you and your presence in our little fandom is extremely cherished by many❤💜

Hello my love! Thanks for your ask and no worries about the accidental unfollow! ❤️

• What is your MC's happiest memory that doesn't include their LI?

After high school graduation her family and Liv, went to Rhodes in Greece for 2 weeks. It was a birthday gift to her and they had the best time.

• If your MC had to choose just one person from their friend group who would it be and why?

Oh difficult question. Probably Sienna, because they have been through more together. Bryce and Elijah come close though.

• Did your MC ever have any pets before they started their life at Boston?

She had a couple of goldfish and at some point a family cat named Ash (because of the color of her fur)

• If MC's LI had to give them one thing as an apology gift after a not so serious argument what would it be?

Mmm. Probably make her favorite dessert and get then snuggle and/or listen to her play the piano.

• I know Ethan is a role model to many MC's but is there someone else in their life who shaped them into the person today?

Her grandmother Alexandra, about whom you can learn more here.

• Your MC is humming a song under their breath, so much so that it gets stuck on the LIs head. What kind of song is it (is it a fun one, or a soft melancholic one or something from an obscure tv show, or a particular artist?)

Depending on her mood or just whatever she had come across, she may be humming any of these. I hc a case where Ethan is starting humming a melancholic song and Olivia starts singing out loud, maybe sit down at the piano and they sing together.

[lem-20]

Frustrations

Summary: Frustrated that Ethan won't let their relationship develop, will MC find some time alone with Bryce too much of a temptation? Rewrite of Bk 1 Ch 11 Bryce scene.

Book/Pairing: Open Heart/Bryce x MC / Ethan x MC (Cecilia Gibson)

Category/Rating: Smut/Explicit

Word Count: 1.7k

Authors notes: I thought I'd try something a bit different for this fic. I had an idea in mind, but I'm not sure if it has come out as I'd hoped 🤣

I have included this weeks @wackydrabbles prompt Hold still

Also inspired by @choicesmonthlychallenge prompt Day 18: Waiting

Characters and some dialogue owned by pixelberry

Cecilia never meant to fall for Ethan Ramsey.

She had always admired his work and had been hugely inspired by him, but a romantic relationship wasn't something that had ever crossed her mind - she hadn't even known what he looked like before her first day at Edenbrook.

When she first met him his condescending behaviour had actually led her to think that he was a bit of an asshole - admittedly she didn't realise it was him at that point, but he definitely hadn't left a good first impression.

It didn't take long for her opinion of him to change though. Working together when Dolores came in and then trying to help Naveen had brought them much closer together than either of them could have imagined. What was blossoming between them certainly wasn't a normal attending/intern relationship.

When they finally kissed in Miami, she'd hoped that it would be the start of something between them. They had got so close to ending up in bed together—something she had been fantasising about for some time—but Ethan had stopped things going any further and she had been feeling frustrated ever since.

A few days after returning from Miami, she had questioned Ethan about what was happening between them.

"Be honest...about us," she said.

"I'm...not sure what you mean," he replied, avoiding her eyes.

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

He turned his back to her and she walked up close behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Please Cecilia, this is hard enough already."

"Then why keep fighting it? We both want this. We both feel this. It almost seems inevitable..."

He turned to her, his eyes filled with longing...and pain.

Reaching up, he gently stroked her cheek. "We're doctors, Cecilia. Fighting the inevitable is our job description."

Without another word he walked past her and out of the lab. She hung her head—her heart sinking—as the sound of his footsteps faded away.

She couldn't deny the hurt she felt. Even though part of her understood his reasoning, she couldn't just pretend there wasn't a connection between them.

---

Several nights later Cecilia was at home in her apartment researching Rhodes disease for Mrs Martinez. Her friends had volunteered to help and several hours had passed when her reading was interrupted by snoring. She looked up to see that everyone had fallen asleep, except for Bryce.

"And then there were two," he smiled before looking back down at his research. "Wait a second...Cecilia, come look at this."

"What'd you find?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Wound up on a message board. Looks like a pissed off employee leaked some old R&D memos from Panacea Labs...Check it out. It says a drug used for Huntington's cured some test subjects of Rhodes disease."

"If they've found a cure...why isn't it on the market?"

"This is pretty recent...Human trails can take years before a new drug gets F.D.A approval."

"Bryce, you found the answer!" Overwhelmed with excitement, she threw her arms around him and he hugged her back tightly.

The hug lingered and she feel reluctant to let go of him...

"I dunno about you, but I feel like celebrating," he whispered.

She looked into his eager eyes, knowing exactly how he wanted to celebrate.

If she went along with this she knew she may end up regretting it. Her feelings for Ethan were undeniable and there was definitely more to it than just a sexual attraction. But their interactions over the past few weeks had left her so confused and sexually frustrated that she was seriously considering taking Bryce up on his offer. She didn't know if Ethan would even allow anything to happen between them in the future and she couldn't wait around for him forever.

It wasn't as though Bryce was a random stranger. He was a good guy...kind...sexy. They had already been physical with each other before—after her housewarming party—so she knew he could definitely help release some of her frustrations there and then.

She gave him a smirk as she made her decision.

She grabbed Bryce's hand and led him to the bathroom. They bumped hard into the door as she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

"Shh, don't wake the others up."

"I'm not the one you're gonna have to worry about," he teased.

He pinned her against the closed bathroom door and kissed her, while she pulled off his shirt.

His strong hands roamed her body, gliding under her clothes, trying to feel every part of her.

"Pent up much?"

"I'm always pent up when I see you," he replied.

She could feel the blush reaching her cheeks.

"Before we go any further, you should know...we have to keep this casual."

She knew this probably didn't need to be said, Bryce was a casual sort of guy, but she didn't need any extra drama in her life right now.

"No strings...fine by me," he grinned, pulling her clothes over her head.

She kissed up his neck and across his smooth jawline as she undid his trousers and pushed them to the ground.

She snapped the band of his underwear with a cheeky smile before sliding her hands beneath the fabric.

"I really don't need to keep those on," he whispered.

She kissed his chest as she slid his underpants down, her fingers brushing against him.

"Agreed..."

The sight of him standing to attention for her was a massive turn on.

She kissed him again as she took hold of him, enjoying the way his breath stopped and started as she pumped his length.

"Who has magic hands now?"

"You're giving me a run for my money," he replied before pulling her bra down and kissing and licking his way across her breasts.

A moan was the only sound she could make as a shiver ran throughout her entire body.

"How 'bout we have some good clean fun," he said pushing her backwards, guiding her toward the shower.

She turned to step in.

"Wait, hold still, "he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Before we get in, I want to get a proper look at you."

He spun her back to face him, before looking her up and down—eyes filled with lust.

"You're gorgeous," he stated while flashing her a grin.

She couldn't help but giggle. "You're quite the charmer Lahela."

Continuing into the shower, Bryce gently pushed her against the shower wall, turning on the tap. Warm water poured down on them as he kissed her, his hands exploring her body.

She returned the favour, running her hands over his slippery muscles.

Bryce reached between her legs and began to move his fingers, slowly but surely. She let out a moan.

"I told you I wasn't the one you had to worry about making noise..."

"I don't think I care anymore..."

She leaned her head against the shower wall and sighed as Bryce's hands worked their magic, circling round her most sensitive part. His lips traced across her collarbone as he dipped a finger inside her.

Her breathing grew heavier as he added another finger.

"Bryce...I need more..."

He gripped her by the back of the thighs and lifted her, pinning her high against the cold tiles.

She sighed with pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he slid himself inside her.

A whisper of guilt flickered across her mind, but it was too late to take it back now, this was happening and she wanted to enjoy it. It felt too good not to.

She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing any doubts out of her head. Instead concentrating on the sensations, the pleasure.

Bryce moved his lips down her neck, softly sucking and kissing as he went.

For a brief moment her mind took her back to Miami where it was Ethan's lips on her neck, his stubble gently scratching her sensitive skin. She remembered the taste of wine on his tongue as his mouth crashed into hers.

She lifted a hand up and ran it through Bryce's hair, gripping tightly as her pleasure started to build.

He plunged himself deep inside her over and over again and she moved her hand down to his chest, feeling his heart thundering as she neared her climax. Her fingernails clawed into his back as she lost control.

"Yes Eth—, Bryce."

Fuck.

She clung on to him, breathing heavily as he thrust a few more times, until he got his own release.

As she came down from her high she cringed as she recalled the fact she had started calling out Ethan's name while having sex with someone else.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Bryce. He smiled at her and kissed her on the lips.

"That was amazing," he said.

"Yeah, it was," she replied through her heavy breathing.

Somehow she seemed to have got away with her slip up. Either he was too wrapped up in the moment to notice or he had decided not to mention it. Either way, she was extremely relieved.

He lowered her back down to the ground and they held each other close for a moment before getting dressed.

Bryce looked at the time, it was 2am.

"I'd better head home if I'm going to get any sleep before work tomorrow."

She grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to go, you could sleep here tonight."

He gave her a little smirk. "I think if I stayed here, you would prove to be way too distracting for either of us to get any sleep."

They both laughed.

"Okay, I'll walk you to the door."

They threw their clothes back on before stepping out into the corridor, where they could talk without waking the others.

"Thank you for tonight Bryce. For the help with the research and the...other thing. I really needed that."

He smiled broadly at her.

"Anytime, Gibson. And I mean it. Any time you need a special release, I'm there. Supply closet, on call room, gym, shower, locker room, your place, my place..."

"Yeah, okay Bryce," she chuckled, playfully pushing him away. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Sien—, I mean Cecilia."

She tilted her head quizzically and he winked at her before turning to leave. Her eyes widened suddenly with realisation that she hadn't got away with her slip up after all.

Although she felt her face burn with embarrassment, she couldn't help but giggle to herself as she watched him walk down the corridor, before disappearing out of sight.

***

Next part (What is this?)

***

Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to like, comment and reblog 🥰

***

I only tag those who ask, so please feel free to let me know if you would like to be added to my list 😃

[levineseth]

momentary glance #6

bryce lahela x piper simmons

a brief look at a scene from open heart from bryce’s point of view

↳ book one, chapter eleven

———

Bryce is laying lazily across his couch when his eyes flicker to the clock. He has to work early the next morning so he should probably be getting to bed. As soon as he gets up to make his way to his bedroom, his phone vibrates.

He raises his eyebrows slightly as Elijah’s name appears on the screen. They weren’t that close- so why was he texting him late at night?

Are you busy right now? the text read.

Bryce replied, About to head to bed. Why? 

You know Mrs. Martinez, right? Piper’s got this crazy idea to try to find a way to get her out of the hospital. We’re all working on finding some research that will help us. Are you in?

Before Bryce could even respond, a second text came through, I’m sure Piper would really appreciate having you here.

———

Bryce knocked on the door of Piper’s apartment, balancing his textbooks in one arm. Elijah opened the door for him and Bryce chose to ignore the knowing look on his face. He came to help Mrs. Martinez- at least that’s what he kept telling himself.

“I hear you’re in need of a surgeon,” he said as he walked into the apartment. All of the eyes fell on him, but he was only looking to Piper.

She had surprised etched onto her features when she said, “Bryce! What are you doing here?”

“I invited him over,” Elijah said. “There might be a surgical solution we’re not considering.”

Bryce walked over and sat down on the couch next to Piper. She smiled at him, “You’re willing to give up your entire night to help us?”

“For you? Always. But especially for Mrs. M. She gave me her pudding cup on my first day, just as a welcome gift.”

She giggled and returned to her textbook, eyes scanning the page. He watched her for a few moments- admiring her drive and her dedication to her job. Finally, he turned to his book- buckling down to help his favorite patient in the hospital.

A few hours later, everyone had fallen asleep except for him and Piper. They were quiet as they both continued scanning for a solution. As Bryce read the words on the screen in front of him, his heart started racing. Had he just found the answer they were looking for?

“Piper, come look at this!” She sat down next to him, close enough to see what he was referring to on his computer screen. “Wound up on a message board. Looks like a pissed off employee leaked some R&D memos from Panacea Labs.” She scooted in closer. “It says a drug used for Huntington’s cured some of the test subjects of Rhodes disease.”

Her eyes scanned the words one last time, then looked up at him. She was so close that she barely had to lift her voice above a whisper when she asked, “If they’ve found a cure... why isn’t it on the market?”

“This is pretty recent,” he replied. “Human trials can take years before a new drug gets F.D.A. approval.”

She nodded once and he watched as her brain pieced together all the information he had laid out. Finally she smiled, “Bryce, you found the answer!”

Piper threw her arms around him and he hugged her back tightly. His chest was bursting with pride.

The hug lingered and Bryce was really reluctant to let her go. His hands traveled lower on her waist, pulling her closer to him as he whispered into her ear, “I dunno about you, but I feel like celebrating.”

She gave him a wicked grin and stood up, dragging him up with her. His hands were all over her, finally landing on her lower back as she pulled them into the bathroom. His lips found hers again- kissing passionately. They bumped hard into the door as it closed behind them.

“Shh,” Piper giggled, pulling away from him slightly. “Don’t wake the others.”

“I’m not the one you’re gonna have to worry about,” he said with a wink, voice deep and husky as he captured her lips again. He pushed her up against the door and she struggled to take his shirt off. Again, his hands were everywhere on her- his nervous energy getting the best of him.

Piper noticed and said, “Pent up much?”

“I’m always pent up when I see you,” he answered honestly.

She smiled and leaned in again. As they kissed, he led her towards the bathroom counter- hiking her up so she was sitting on it and he stood between her legs.

“Bryce..” she sighed, pulling away from him. “Before we continue, you should know... This means something to me.”

The atmosphere around them changed immediately and Bryce felt more nervous than he could ever remember feeling. His heart felt like it was racing while also missing every other beat.

He met Piper’s gaze and asked, “It.. does?”

“Yeah,” she replied, biting her lip. “Does it... to you?”

Bryce smiled despite himself, cheeks hurting from the force of it, “Can’t you tell?”

He leaned forward to kiss her once more- but this time it was slow and tender. He tried with everything in him to let her know how much he wanted this, how much he wanted her.

“Yeah,” she finally said with a small smile when he pulled away. “I guess I can tell.”

[lucy-268]

To Make You Happy

A/N – There’s a lot going on in here. I’m picking up the @wackydrabbles - Prompt 56 When you said yes, I really just had to go with it. I’m also using the prompt temptation, which is the day 21 of the @choicesmonthlychallenge, as well as the day 21 prompt family from @writersmonth.  This takes place during second year.  Thank you so much to @oofchoices for reading and coming up with a title for me. My masterlist is here.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to PB

Warnings: Family drama? Politics

Series/Pairing: Open Heart - Bryce x f!MC (Maggie)

Word count: 1,041

It was late when they pulled into the quaint bed and breakfast. The door was locked and they had to ring the doorbell. It was opened by a young woman about Maggie’s age. Her eyes widened when she saw the two of them standing on the porch. “Maggie!” she yelled, pulling her friend into a hug.

After breaking the hug, Maggie pulled Bryce forward. “Bryce, this is Stephanie, my best friend since third grade. Steph, this is Bryce, an awesome surgeon I work with.”

Stephanie pulled them in and looked at Maggie, questioningly. “Laura canceled your reservation. Your mom called yesterday and said you were going to stay at home.”

“No. Please tell me you still have two rooms? I can’t stay with my parents.”

Stephanie said, “Let’s check. I should have called you when Laura said your mom called.” She opened her computer. “You only had one room reserved. Damn, I’m sorry, all rooms are sold. We only have one person who hasn’t checked in…” She looked at Bryce. “Your Bryce Lahela?”

Bryce nodded. “I am.”

Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. “And I’m glad I didn’t put both rooms under my name.”

“That’s the only room. You can stay in my quarters with me.” Stephanie looked between the two of them. “Since you booked separate rooms.”

Bryce put his arm around Maggie’s shoulders. “Or you can stay with me. I’ll behave myself.”

Stephanie said, “Just know I get up at five to start breakfast and the morning routine here.”

Maggie looked at Bryce. “I trust you to keep to your own side of the bed.”

Bryce carried their luggage upstairs and Maggie opened the door. The room had a masculine feel with its pine floor, rock fireplace, and hunting lodge decor. A canopy bed was the focal point of the room. There were a few chairs around the room.

Maggie’s phone started to ring. She let out a wry laugh before she answered. “Hi, mom.”

Bryce watched as she paced the room. “I’m staying at Stephanie’s B&B.” She opened her suitcase and pulled out a nightshirt. “I know you canceled my reservation. I told you I was bringing a friend with me. Stephanie had a room for us.”

She hung up the dress for her sister’s wedding. “You can meet him tomorrow. I don’t care what you tell dad about me sharing a room with someone one you don’t know. Mom, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. It’s late and I need to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Maggie disconnected the call and flopped down on the bed.

Bryce laid next to her. “Families, huh?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to come to this wedding by myself. I asked you and when you said yes, I really just had to go with it.” Maggie pushed herself off the bed. “I need to brush my teeth and shower.”

Bryce stood. “I’ll unpack. And then you can tell me all about what I need to know about your family before I meet them.”

Maggie laughed as she went into the bathroom. “You like horror stories before bedtime?”

Bryce unpacked and pulled on a pair of his pajama bottoms. Now that he was sharing a room, no - a bed - with Maggie, he was glad he had thrown them in his bag as he normally only slept in his boxers.

The shower had turned off and he heard the hair dryer. Soon Maggie came into the room wearing a nightshirt that ended at mid-thigh. “Oh damn.” Bryce inhaled as his eyes traced a path from her toes up her legs and body ending at her eyes. He shook his head. “Sorry for staring.”

“Maybe I should stay with Steph.” Maggie bit her lip.

“No. I can keep my hands to myself.” He looked at her. “I’ll try to keep my eyes to myself, too. But I can’t promise.”

Maggie pulled back the sheets and slipped into bed. Bryce slid into the opposite side of the bed. “So, family?”

“What do you think of the president?”

Bryce’s eyes got wide. “Are you related to him?”

“Nope. But most of my family are fans. You’ll see a lot of bumper stickers supporting him at the church tomorrow. If you mention anything about politics, you will get sucked into a conversation that will go on forever. If that happens, motion to me and I’ll come rescue you.”

Bryce laughed. “I can probably handle myself, but I’ll not mention it. You’re opinionated; how do you deal with them?”

Maggie laughed. “I was always told I was young and I’d know better when I was older. Then, I was stupid and someday I’d learn. Then when I graduated at the top of my class from med school they couldn’t really call me stupid anymore. We have an agreement. They know they won’t change my mind and I don’t call them racist misogynistic idiots to their faces.”

Maggie yawned. Bryce said, “You can tell me anything else I need to know tomorrow morning.” He checked the time on his phone before turning off the light. “Or rather later today.”

Maggie woke a while later. Her head was pressed up against Bryce’s shoulder. She could tell from his breathing he was still awake. She sat up. “You ok?”

Bryce stared at the canopy over the bed. “Yeah. Great. Fine.”

“Bryce?”

“Why did we stop last year? We hooked up a few times and then you wanted to stop.”

Maggie sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her back to him. “I’m 28. I’m too old to do a casual, no-strings thing anymore. When we were researching Rhodes disease for Mrs. Martinez we said casual, no-strings. That got to be not enough.”

Bryce blew out a breath. “You said casual and I agreed. I would have agreed to anything you said. I would have been happy to be in a relationship with you.” He reached out and touched her arm. “This might not be the right time, but I’d like to have a discussion about us when we get back into Boston.”

She turned to look at him and nodded. “I’d like that, too.” She leaned across the bed to hug him. “I’d really like that.”

My tag list @oofchoices @openheart12 @jamespotterthefirst @ohchoices @catchinglikekeronsen @aylamreads @nerdydinosaursweets @eramsey28 @txemrn @starrystarrytrouble @queencarb @thegreentwin @lion-ess24 @caseyvalentineramsey @mvalentine @kaavyaethanramsey

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[luxurylives]

Day One – Winter | Winter Evening

Pairing: Aurora Emery x Duke Oakley

Book(s): Open Heart/Big Sky Country

Word Count: 2,046

Rating: T

Summary: After a brief encounter at Edenbrook, Aurora and Duke cross paths at a bar on a cold winter night in Boston.

Author’s Note: I wrote this for the Choices December Challenge (late submission). The idea came from a recent episode of The Young & the Restless—Billy (Jason Thompson) met Amanda (Mishael Morgan) at a bar and since then they’ve been seeing each other in secret. This takes place after Open Heart, Book 1 and after Big Sky Country, Book 2. Mohsenin is from Hollywood U. Pixelberry Studios owns the characters.

Tagging: @cora-nova @choicesdecemberchallenge​ @darley1101​ @choicesbyjade @lady-kato​ @silverofdreams​ @stillafictosexual @mfackenthal @brightpinkpeppercorn

Aurora Emery sat in the break room and poked her salad with her fork. The faint ticking of the clock echoed around her. 

“Only one more hour…” she said quietly. 

The past few days had been tiring, luckily her day off was just around the corner. After a few more bites, Aurora threw her salad away and left the break room. 

…Just tell me why…

Aurora froze and turned her head in the direction of the music playing nearby. Whoever was singing had a rich, soulful voice. 

…There’s still so much left to say…

Aurora continued down the hall as the music continued to play. 

…Please come back to me…

Once Aurora found the room, she gently pushed the door open to see who was inside. 

The man sitting up in bed had his laptop out and his phone next to him. Although he was wearing a hospital gown, it was no secret he spent his fair share of time in the gym. Aurora’s eyes traveled from the willful look in his chocolate brown eyes to the neatly trimmed beard, chiseled jaw, and the curves of his biceps under the sleeves. 

“Is someone there?”

Aurora started to back away but then realized how foolish that would be, so she pushed the door open and walked into the room.

“Hm, you aren’t Dr. Delarosa,” he said with a smile and lowered the lid to his computer. 

Aurora cleared her throat, maintaining a professional demeanor. “No, I’m not, I heard the music— “.

“I figured it was too loud, my apologies,” he said and lowered the volume. “My neighbor didn’t bring me any headphones, only my essentials for work”. 

“Just try to keep the music at a lower volume”. 

“Will do” he answered back. 

Aurora turned to leave but paused in the doorway, the man looked up once more and raised an eyebrow at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, who was that?” she asked. 

“Stepback Three, he just released a new single”.

Aurora shook her head as she tried to contain her smile. So he’s hot and listens to R&B….

“Hold on…are you taking over for Ines or…?”

Aurora snapped out of her thoughts, remembering she had somewhere to be and patients to check on. “No, I was just nearby…did you need anything?”

The man looked around and shrugged. “No I’m okay for right now, thank you”. 

“Your welcome” Aurora replied and exited the room. 

Once she was back in the hallway, she smiled, hopefully, she would run into him again. 

  A few weeks later, Aurora found herself working the same shift as Bryce, Sienna, Elijah, and Jackie. When it was time to clock out, Aurora retreated to the locker room to gather her things so she could go home. 

“Has anyone decided where we’re going out to eat?”

Aurora briefly looked over her shoulder to see the group huddled together, all of them out of their uniform and changing their shoes. 

“I have a few surgeon buddies who want to tag along,” Bryce said. 

“Bryce I was hoping to keep this get together small…sometimes your other friends can be a bit much” Sienna chimed in. 

Aurora busied herself with her locker, desperately trying to get it open. The less she heard of their conversation the better. 

“I might have asked Phoebe to come…but seriously where should we go?” Elijah asked.

“Maybe Aurora has a suggestion?”

Aurora turned around to face the group, each person returned a friendly smile…except for Jackie who gave her a dismissive once-over. 

“We’re unsure about where to go eat, which sounds better: Chinese, Indian, or Italian?” Sienna asked.

Aurora breathed a sigh of relief as she finally opened her locker. “Beats me” she answered.

Jackie laughed and shook her head. “Figures”. 

“Excuse me?” Aurora turned towards Jackie as she slipped her coat on and wrapped her scarf. 

“I figured you wouldn’t have an opinion since you don’t get out much”. 

Sienna elbowed Jackie and shot her look while Elijah and Bryce awkwardly looked away. 

“I do get out” Aurora replied coldly. “I was at Donahue’s with everyone that one time”.

“Yeah, and I heard you were sitting at the bar alone looking through apartment listings”. 

Aurora rolled her eyes and proceeded to leave. “Whatever Jackie” she called over her shoulder. 

As she walked down the hallway towards the exit, Aurora began to think about what Jackie said. Okay, she was right, she didn’t get out as much as she wanted to. A small part of her wanted to be a part of the friend group that Sienna, Bryce, and Elijah formed with Casey Valentine. However, she kept her distance because of trust issues. Usually, her colleagues only befriended her so they could be on her aunt’s good side. To protect herself, she built a wall and put on a cold, aloof personality. Unfortunately, all that did was push people away. 

A cold gust of wind greeted her once she stepped outside and Aurora shivered as she began walking down the sidewalk. 

“You know what screw it…I will find something to do tonight” Aurora said and pulled out her phone. 

  “Come on, tell me what happened?”

Duke Oakley lowered his glass and raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Three words Garret, Attorney. Client. Privilege”.

Garret Redmond sighed and took a sip of his scotch. “Well, I find it interesting that Rhodes turns up dead and a few other things…”.

“Look, all I’m going to say is the hearing is on Friday,” Duke said.

“Hm, well hopefully, all of this crap blows over”.

Duke tapped his fingers on the side of his glass as he thought back to the text he received from Dorian Delacroix. 

“Anyway, what happened to you the other night?”

“I was in a car accident,” Duke said as he rubbed his shoulder. 

Garret raised an eyebrow at him as he took another drink. “What happened?”

“I hardly remember, I know I called a Dryve and then I saw some headlights” Duke shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Well, at least you’re okay”.

Duke shook his head and tossed back his whiskey. “True”.   

Garret pulled out his phone and to check the time and shortly put it away. “I have an early flight tomorrow, AgraCorp is looking into some property in Gracetown”.

“Thanks for the drinks man,” Duke said.

“No problem, but next time I’m in town we should hit up Fenway–Kenmore with Luca”. 

“Sure if you’re buying”.

Garret laughed and pointed at him as he exited the bar. “Ha! We’ll see about that”. 

  “Alright, here you are…The Rusty Mallard”. 

Aurora glanced out the window and took in the rustic appearance of the bar. “Thanks,” she said and stepped out of the car. 

While the snowflakes fell around her, Aurora took in her surroundings and noticed she was in Rivermont, one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods. 

Once Aurora entered the bar, her eyes landed on an empty seat at the bar. As she walked towards the bar, she tripped and bumped into someone’s chair. “Oh, sorry,” she said quickly. 

“No worries”.

Aurora froze, it was the man from the hospital. “It’s you…the Stepback Three fan”.

The man flashed a pearly white grin as he briefly looked down at the table and back up at her. “Guilty,” he said. 

Aurora smiled and briefly looked away from him. The hue of the lights cast an alluring look on his face.

“What brings you here?”

Aurora looked over at the empty seat, which was now occupied. “Oh…I was just in the neighborhood” she said. 

“Care to join me?” The man gestured to the seat in front of him.

“Sure,” Aurora said as she took off her coat.

“Duke Oakley,” he said and extended a hand towards her. 

“Aurora Emery” Aurora shook his hand, his touch was soft, yet firm. 

“What are you drinking?”

“Water” Aurora answered as she settled into her seat. “On second thought, I’ll have a scotch neat”.

Duke shook his head as he collected the empty glasses on the table and walked over to the bar. Aurora bit her lip; the long sleeve shirt he had on revealed a v-shaped back and his pants outlined a firm butt and sculpted thighs. 

Within minutes, Duke returned with two drinks and set them down on the table. “Here you go”. 

“Thank you,” Aurora said and took the drink he slid towards her. 

“So did you just get off work?”

Aurora sipped her drink and then looked down at her scrubs. After work, she didn’t bother to go back to her Aunt’s place and change clothes. Instead, she went to the museum and to see Chris Winter’s new movie. “Sort of,” she said. 

“Busy day?”

“You can say that, if you don’t mind, what is it that you do?”

“I am a lawyer” Duke answered and took a sip of his drink. 

“I hope you aren’t due in court in the morning…”.

Duke chuckled as he shook his head. “No, but I have some time to spare”.

Aurora smiled as she looked down at her glass and ran her fingers along the brim. Somehow, she felt the intense heat of his gaze on her and she relished in the feeling of it.

“Do you live around here?”

“No, I live near the hospital, what about you?”

“I’m over in Benbrook” Duke replied as he lifted his glass and took a slow sip.

“That’s a nice area, it’s not too far from the public garden”.

“Have you been over that way?”

“I think so…my Aunt showed me around once”.

Duke shook his head and took another sip. “Well if you want, I know of some nice places to eat, catch a show…”. 

“Tempting…” Aurora took another sip as she tried to hide her smile. 

Duke grinned as he tapped his fingers on the table. “Doctor, what will it take for you to say yes?”

Aurora turned towards him, no longer hiding her smile. “I need direct evidence of what you are telling me, counselor”. 

Duke bit his lip, a playful smile formed at the edge of his lips. “Your honor— “. 

Bzzzz bzzzzzzz Bzzzz bzzzzzzz

Both of them turned away from each other to check their phones. 

“It’s work…” Duke frowned as he looked at his screen. 

“I get it, go ahead,” Aurora said. 

Duke gave her an apologetic look before he stepped away to answer the call. Aurora used the opportunity to check the time, she didn’t want to stay too late, nor start something that would probably lead nowhere. 

  “Okay, so it’s this Friday?”. 

“Yes, the hearing is on Friday. Dorian, I want you to be there on time and make sure your wife is present". 

“I know the drill, this isn’t my first rodeo Oakley, but listen with how everything has played out…what are my chances here?”

“I’m certain this case will be dismissed; Judge Ortiz is presiding”.

“Ha! This may work out then! I meant to tell you that Mohsenin is safe, his phone cut out or something that night”. 

Duke sighed with relief and turned towards Aurora who stood up and put her coat on.

“Now the other problem you mentioned—”.

Duke quickly covered the phone and hurried back over to Aurora. “Hey, hold on, I’m almost done”.

“It’s getting late” Aurora said. 

“This will only take a minute, scout’s honor”.

Aurora gave him a friendly smile before heading towards the door. “Thanks for the drink, this court is adjourned”. 

Duke grinned as he watched her stride out of the bar. 

“Oakley?!”

“Yep, still here” Duke answered as he returned to his seat. 

  Once Aurora was outside, she paused and looked through the window. Duke sat at the table speaking to someone on the phone. Reluctantly, she turned away and walked down the sidewalk to hail an approaching taxi. 

Once she got inside and settled into the backseat the driver turned around to face her. “Where to Miss?”

“4943 Burke Street”.

“Ah, that’s near Edenbrook,” he said and proceeded in that direction. 

“Say, you wouldn’t happen to know of any interesting places in Benbrook, would you?”

“There’s a few, you need ideas for the weekend?”

Aurora smiled as she gazed out the window, the snow still falling over the city. “Yeah…I might bump into someone”. 

[brycecortez]

Graveyard | Rhodez

when: june 21st, 2020

where: the beach house

trigger warnings: mentions of suicide

nb: after his roommate had attempted suicide with bryce in just the next room, he just couldn’t bare to be there. not wanting to bother avery since ryan was her best friend, not wanting to bother lola and ollie because of recent awkward events, and not wanting to overwhelm his sister considering she lived in a house full of people - bryce went to amber-jade in a moment of vulnerability, asking if her could spend some time at the house while his roommate was away. he opens up about his past experiences with suicide attempts with his own sister, Allison, something he’s never talked about with anyone.

(ooc): this is an ongoing chatzy, and will be updated as we go along.

@amberjade-rhodes

After recent events with Ryan attempting suicide, Bryce honestly didn't know what to do. The last time he ever experienced something like that was when his sister attempted to take her own life back in high school, when the two were both just teenagers. He still didn't know his roommate all that well, but that didn't mean he want to see her hurt. For some reason, it just felt wrong and uncomfortable for him to be in that very apartment, which is how he ended up texting Amber-Jade, asking if he could at least spend the night until he figured out what to do. He didn't want to go to his sister considering she lived with at least ten other girls, and he couldn't go to Lola and Ollie because, well, he had royally fucked that up. It wasn't long after she replied to him that he was knocking on her door, his overnight bag in hand. "Hey, you." he said in a soft voice, not being able to find it in himself to be the enthusiastic person the redhead had seen previously. "I-uh, thanks for letting me spend the night. I really appreciate it."

Amber had heard the rumors around campus about Ryan and as she considered the blonde a friend, she had genuinely hoped that the rumors weren't true. When Bryce texted her and asked if he could stay the night at the beach house, it served as unofficial confirmation of those rumors. If Bryce didn't want to stay in the apartment that he shared with Ryan, something was very obviously wrong. Still, she didn't hesitate in saying yes; making up the bed in the third (and spare) bedroom with fresh sheets in preparation for his arrival. Dressed in just an oversized shirt and underwear, her hair in a messy bun, she opened the door to Bryce just a few seconds after he first knocked. "Hey yourself", Amber quietly replied before stepping forward and pulling him into a hug. "Don't mention it, I'm happy to help. I'm just glad that you reached out and asked to crash for the night, I hate to think about you alone in your apartment right now", she told him after pulling back from the embrace. "Rebekah is staying with Arden tonight so it's relatively quiet here right now. I'll show you to the spare bedroom and then I can grab you a drink or some food if you want?"

Bryce easily held onto the redhead tightly, wrapping an arm around her waist as his other hand rubbed her back. When pulling away, he brought his hand up to cradle her face, randomly placing a kiss on her lips. "You're just the one person I can tolerate right now. I'm sorry that this was last minute, I hope I didn't ruin any plans." he stated, completely apologetic about the fact that he brought this on her last minute. "At least someone is probably having happy and hot sex tonight." Bryce joked lightly, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. "A drink would be great, thanks babe. I'm guessing you've heard what happened? Word always seems to travel at God speed here."

Amber hadn't been expecting Bryce to gently kiss her lips after pulling back from the embrace but when he did, a ghost of a smile warmed her face. "Please don't apologize. You haven't interrupted any plans and I'm just relieved that I could give you a safe place to stay for the night. I'd rather you stay here than scramble to find somewhere else to go, even if it's late and at the last minute", Amber assured him. "Happy, hot and very enthusiastic sex", she jokingly corrected. "I occasionally hear them through the walls when I get off work early, neither of them have any complaints in that department", she added. She walked to the kitchen when he said that he wanted a drink, trusting that he would follow after her. "I heard the rumors but I was desperately hoping that they weren't true because I really like Ryan. She was so nice to me when I first arrived here, I really appreciated that. I would ask if you're okay but I know that's a dumb question so instead I'm going to ask what you need to get through the night?" As she spoke, she fixed them both drinks; passing him a glass filled with a generous amount of bourbon.

Bryce gave Amber a small, shy smile as she assured him that he had nothing to apologize for. He just felt a tad bit uneasy that for the first time, we wasn't able to stand his own. Bryce had always been overly independent, and stubborn, practically an emotionless wall - that was the soldier in him. But this just hit a little too close to home for him to not be emotional. A part of him felt as though Amber would understand his ways and tactics more than anyone. "I bet. They're both very beautiful women. I'm surprised you haven't joined them yet. Now that's something I would completely support one hundred percent." Bryce said with a soft laugh. Sighing, he took a seat at her kitchen table. He easily accepted the glass that contained a good amount of bourbon, never being so thankful for anything in his life. "I barely know the girl, but that doesn't mean I want her to take her own life. I had no idea what was going on, but I just suddenly heard all of this commotion from my room and walked out to some of her friends freaking out and calling the police. She could've died just right next door if they hadn't come, and I would've never known." His voice was distant, vulnerability really wasn't his thing. Bryce took a sip of his drink, sighing as he placed the glass back onto the table. "My sister attempted when she was eighteen. Ended up in the hospital for almost a month." He stared into his drink as if the amber colored liquid was going to help, or give him some answers. He sighed once more, rolling his eyes at himself before taking another sip. "I've never told anyone that. Allison basically swore me, Ollie, and everyone humanly possible to secrecy."

Amber had the feeling that it was difficult for Bryce to have shown up on her doorstep and admit that he needed help. When she was going through a crisis, it was instinct for her to retreat away from everyone; to lick her wounds and process everything alone; and she got the sense that Bryce was similar like that. She would probably never admit it to him but she felt touched that he had come to the beach house of all places as it suggested that he trusted her just as much as she trusted him. "If I'm ever invited to join them for the night, I'll be sure to give you all the juicy details", she lightly retorted, taking the seat opposite him at the table. As he talked about the fact that he was right next door as Ryan attempted suicide, she leaned across the table and carefully took his hand; squeezing it gently. "It would have been horrible if that happened but it didn't, okay? Her friends found her and they rushed her to the hospital; she's going to be fine", she said softly, hoping that her words were a small source of comfort to him right now. Amber didn't say a word when he confessed that his sister had attempted suicide when she was 18, instead getting out of her seat and making her way over to his side of the table. With a small bit of maneuvering, she carefully sat on his lap and held him tightly; letting him know that he wasn't alone. "Thank you for telling me", she whispered, pressing her lips lightly against his cheek. "I'm so sorry that tonight was triggering for you but I'm glad that you came here, I'm glad that you aren't alone. You can stay here for as long as you need, okay?"

"If you ever get invited to join them for the night, please make sure you mention my name...in case if they want to go about having a third again." Bryce stated, only half-jokingly; although, he wouldn't even dare to be stupid enough to say no to Arden and Rebekah, whether or not they were his sisters friends. Looking down as her hand picked up his, his lips turned into a soft smile. He picked up her hand and kissed it gently before grazing his thumb over the soft skin. "What if she's not though? What if her friends got to her too late? I should've checked in more, I should've been at the apartment more...I should've been there more." This was the main reason why he never allowed himself to get close to many people. It seemed like the minute he got close to someone, it wasn't much longer before they got hurt - or better yet, ended up dead. And every time that happened, he always blamed himself, even if that meant he was being irrational. Bryce found himself being a bit taken aback, being too caught up in his own mind to not even realize that Amber had let go of his hand, gotten up from her seat, shimmied her way onto his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close into his body, and he held onto her as if his life had depended on it. In that moment, he was very much truly vulnerable, and the little, scared, and insecure boy that had never healed from his childhood and teenager years was completely exposed. He turned his head slightly when he felt her lips press against his cheek, placing his lips against hers and kissing her deeply. He poured every bit of emotion into that kiss, as he desperately needed to get lost into something, someone, her. "I need you." he whispered against her lips, pulling away just to take a quick breath before crashing his lips back onto hers. "I think I just want to go to bed right now. I'm not really in the mood to drink."

"Maybe I'll float the idea of a foursome, I've never done that before", Amber replied, also only partly-joking. If the opportunity presented itself, she certainly wouldn't be turning it down and if she could somehow include Bryce in that... well, that just meant that the night would be even hotter. "Ryan has a lot of people that really care about her and that wasn't enough to stop her, Bryce. I know that it's easy to feel guilty and blame yourself but in reality, the two of you being the best of friends wouldn't have changed anything. If she felt so low that attempting suicide seemed like the only option, you wouldn't have been able to stop it". Although her voice was quiet, her tone left little room for argument. She really didn't want Bryce blaming himself over this when it wasn't his fault. She certainly hadn't been expecting Bryce to kiss her deeply but she was quick to kiss him back, understanding that he just needed some sort of distraction because it was a strategy that she had relied upon multiple times in the past. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere", she was quick to tell him, only just getting the words out before his lips were back on hers. "I know that we talked about you sleeping in the guest room but you can sleep with me, in my bed, if you like", she offered.

"A foursome with three, breathtaking women...I would practically be in heaven." Bryce chuckled, knowing very well he was beginning to sound like the typical, overly horny male. Although, he definitely wouldn't pass up on an opportunity to take Amber in any way, let alone in that way. "That's the thing, we're not even the best of friends, but that doesn't mean I want her to fucking die. I just - I can't believe that right now. I should've noticed something, I should've learned after my sister." He knew there was no room for argument based off of her voice, but even then he completely disregarded it. If anything, he knew that this would be the last he would speak of this before he just internalized it all, like he always did. He brought his hands up to her face, cupping her cheeks and further pulling her so her body was literally pressed up against his. "No...I need you right now." Bryce whispered, his hands slowly traveling down her back before sneaking into her shirt. He found himself struggling to pull away from her, wanting to get completely lost in her in that very moment. "I'd like that. And besides, I don't think I can stay away from you."

"It would certainly be hard to top that experience, we'd have to get pretty adventurous and wild afterwards to even come close", Amber laughed softly, trying to ignore the dirty thoughts suddenly filling her head; wanting to focus purely on Bryce and helping him through the current situation. "I more meant that even if you were the best of friends, it wouldn't have changed anything. I know that you're the kind of person that beats yourself up over things, that blames yourself even when it's not warranted; but even after you've experienced something firsthand, it doesn't necessarily prepare you to deal with it again. I'm actually friends with her and although I encouraged her to go to therapy to work through a few things, I didn't see the warning signs either. You aren't the only one that didn't notice". She knew that Bryce likely wouldn't believe her but she needed to say the words; to try and appeal to his sense of reason before he beat himself up over this forevermore. She just nodded, indicating that she understood his intention as she got off his lap. "Come on, let's go to bed", she said, extending her hand for him to take. As soon as he got to his feet, she lead him upstairs to her bedroom.

“For some reason, I’m getting the indication that it won’t be hard for us to achieve that.” Bryce said as his lips turned into a devilish smirk. Despite his mood, even he couldn’t fight the dirty images that came when thinking about the hypothetical scenario. He simply just nodded as the other spoke. Bryce knew that what she was saying was the rational way of thinking, but he just could seem to bring himself to think that way. He just hated feeling this way, which is why he initially had said something, but now he really just wanted to drop it. It seemed like the more he talked about things, he worse he felt; so in his mind, it was just better to drop the conversation entirely. Watching as she got up from his lap, he picked up his head to look at her. She had been offering him her hand, and it was only a matter of seconds before he accepted. Grabbing her hand, he got up onto his feet and proceeded to follow her upstairs to her bedroom. “Thank you again for this. I really do owe you one.” He stated in a voice of gratitude. Once the two were in her bedroom, he immediately began stripping, pulling his shirt over his head and pulling down his pants, leaving him only in his underwear. He placed the clothes in a neat pile on her dresser so that it would be easy to pick up in the morning.

“That sounds like a challenge, one that I’m definitely up for. I get the feeling that things between us will never be boring”, Amber told him. The redhead was practically an expert in defence mechanisms; in strategies that kept people at arms length; and she recognised that in Bryce. She could tell that he wanted to drop the topic so she just gently cupped his cheek before leaning forwards and brushing her lips gently against his. “You’re a good man, Bryce Cortez”, she said simply, choosing not to preserve with the previous line of conversation as she wanted to respect his boundaries. “Don’t mention it, I know that you would do the same thing for me”. Her eyes lingered on Bryce as he discarded his clothes, leaving him in just his boxers. Knowing exactly what type of distraction he needed, she was quick to discard her own clothes; she hadn’t been wearing a bra underneath the outfit so she was left standing in front of him in just a pair of black boyshort style panties. She hadn’t been expecting his company so wasn’t wearing sexy lingerie, yet she didn’t think that he’d mind. Her eyes were on him, waiting to see what he would do next, giving him control over the situation as he was the one in need of distraction.

“And I have the same feeling.” Bryce said with a smile. Bryce was notorious for this, for shutting down emotionally as soon as he felt vulnerable. But there was something about the redhead that made it hard for him to shut down. He found himself wanting to open up to Amber completely, feeling as though he could really trust her. And yet, Bryce found himself wanting to pull and run away from her because of a few simple things; he was beginning to develop probably the softest spot for her, and he was slowly beginning to fall for Amber-Jade. He leaned his head against her touch, finding her touch rather comforting. Instead of saying anything else, he simply just pressed his lips against hers, kissing her softly and quickly. The male didn’t want to pressure her to do anything she didn’t want to do, but as she stripped off her shirt, her body left completely bare, he couldn’t help the dirty images that flooded his mind. The ones of her being bent over, and him being buried deep inside her. Keeping his eyes on hers, he slowly made his way over. His fingertips gently grazed over the skin on her shoulder, his breathing quickening just slightly before he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was a bit more heated than the previous ones where, this time being filled with lust, passion, and utter desire. Placing his hands on the top of her shoulders, he pulled away slowly from the kiss and gently pushed her down onto her knees. He pulled down his underwear, stepping out of them and tossing them to the side and took his length into his own hand. The male began stroking himself, a soft, quiet, and breathless moan slipping his lips. He could feel himself immediately getting harder and harder as he looked down at the redhead; and as he stroked himself, his other hand got lost in her hair, pulling gently as he guided her to take his cock into her mouth.

"The only difference between us here is that you're too stubborn to tell me if that feeling fades; if you're getting bored", Amber-Jade teased, trying her best to ignore the fact that she didn't want that feeling to fade away. She may have only known Bryce for a few months but it was quickly becoming more than just hot sex for her. She felt safe around him; like it was okay to lower her guard and put her faith in him. Whilst she was certainly afraid of the feelings that she had for him, it hadn't sent her running for the hills like it usually would because the thought of being without him was even more terrifying than having her heart broken by him. Goosebumps popped up on her skin as his fingertips grazed her shoulder and whilst he was the one in need of a distraction tonight, she was certainly a willing participant. She was quick to kiss him back, wordlessly letting him know that she was here; that she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what. He only broke the kiss to gently push her to her knees, the redhead watching with eyes darkened by lust as he stepped out of his underwear and stroked himself until he was hard. "You're so gorgeous", she murmured quickly as she watched, her own arousal spiking as he let out a breathless moan. She moaned quietly as his hand gently pulled her hair, swirling her tongue around the head of his cock before going along with his guiding; not stopping until all of his hard length was inside her mouth, the head of his cock against her throat. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, wordlessly conveying that this moment was about him, that he could set the pace here.

"Between us, I don't think I will get bored of you, especially when it comes to our time in bed." Bryce said cheekily, the corner of his lips turning upwards to show his sly smirk. Things between the pair were quickly becoming more than just the occasional hot sex in his car. The pair actually got along well; they were actually able to hold onto a conversation. And not only that, but he just felt connected to her. She was someone he could talk to, and someone he didn't mind opening up all of his doors, even the doors he refused to open up with anyone. Bryce breathlessly moaned out her full name as he felt the head of his cock hit the back of his throat. He looked down to make eye contact with her, smiling softly as he ran a thumb down her cheek. "You look so beautiful." He breathed out. Lacing his second hand through her strawberry blonde hair, he felt held her head down in that position for a couple of seconds before pulling her away, groaning out loud as he did so. He continued these slow movements, of him making her take all of him so that his cock was continuing to hit the back of her throat, just to pull away completely. "Touch yourself, babygirl." He gently commanded, tugging on her hair a bit rougher so he could get a better hold. Staying in place, he used the grip he had on her hair to begin moving her head. What started off as a slow and gentle pace quickly turned into something more rough. Pulling at her hair, he moved her head up and down his cock at a fast pace, his roughness continuing to build up to the point he could just barely hear her gag. "Fuck, Amber...I'm going to fuck you so good tonight. Good thing your roommate’s not home because I don't plan on having you be quiet tonight."

"I certainly haven't had any complaints in that regard and you aren't too terrible so I think we'll be fine", Amber-Jade teased, knowing that her comment would likely invoke some sort of reaction from him. Sometimes it was fun to push his buttons a little, to see how he would react to her. Honestly, she had kind of expected that she would never see Bryce again after he took her home from the library and they had fucked in his car. A lot of the things he had said kind of felt like lines, things he was saying to charm her into taking off her pants, but she was starting to realize that he had actually meant those things. He was fast becoming one of the people on campus that she felt the closest too; and she genuinely enjoyed his company, even on the rare occasions that they didn't sleep together. That was yet another reason why she was happy to be his distraction for the night. She moaned around his length when he called her beautiful, knowing that the vibrations would just add an extra level of pleasure to what they were doing. Upon his direction, she used one of her hands to shove the material of her underwear to the side and ran two fingers over her centre, making sure they were nice and wet before pushing those fingers inside herself. As she curled her fingers upwards and pressed against her g-spot, Bryce quickly increased the pace; roughly using his grip on her hair to fuck her mouth. If anything, it was just more of a turn on for her. She liked the fact that he had shown up on her doorstep of all places; that she was the person that he trusted to take his mind off of the bad events that had occurred earlier in the night. In response to his comments about how he was going to fuck her tonight, she impulsively pulled her fingers out of her already soaked center and reached her hand up to his mouth, giving him the opportunity to lick her fingers clean and get a taste of what awaited him tonight.

Bryce gaped at the other in response to her statement. "I'm not too terrible? I'm probably the best person you'll ever meet, both in bed and personality wise. I am quite the catch, if I must say so myself." Bryce stated immediately, dramatically placing a hand over his chest as if he was really taken a back by her not realizing just how great he was at this point. Bryce never expected for this to turn into a regular thing; on the night that they met, he really just thought that it was going to be a one and done deal. That the great sex in the backseat of his truck in the empty parking lot was going to be the first, and only time, that he got in between her legs. But now, this seemed to be a regular occurrence that was happening, as the two were beginning to see more and more of each other. Breathless moans continued to roll off of Bryce's tongue as he felt Amber's own tongue continue to run up and down his length, especially when she began moaning around him; the vibrations coming from her mouth due to the moan being a sensation that was rather euphoric to the male. He watched as she brought a hand down between her legs and began touching herself, his lips turning into a devilish smirk as she got herself off while having his dick in her mouth. He didn't realize just how wet she had already gotten until the redhead had pulled her fingers out and up towards Bryce's face. He suddenly stopped her head, keeping her in the position where his cock was still buried deep inside her mouth, and leaned down just ever so slightly; releasing one hand from her hair in order to hold her wrist in place. The man began licking off her arousal, working on one finger at a time, before taking both fingers into his mouth - making it a point to make intense eye contact with her as he sucked her fingers clean. "You taste so fucking good, but I bet you'd taste even better with my cum in the mix." He stated in a low voice, dropping her hand and pulling her off of him. Upon his sudden actions, he stood her up and walked her over to her dresser, noticing that the piece of wooden furniture had a mirror attached to it. "I want you to see how good you look when I'm fucking you." He bent her over the dresser, taking a small step back so he could really see everything. Seeing her growing arousal only made him more motivated, and more turned on. He picked up her leg and placed it onto the dresser, allowing him full access, and spreading her legs apart just that much more. The man had been so into the moment at that point, he didn't even think about reaching for protection; he knew that he was clean, and he knew very well that he would have to pull out (something he had pretty much mastered over the years). It wasn't long before his hand found it's way back to her strawberry blonde hair; he wrapped her long hair around his hand before pulling roughly, using his other hand to take hold of his hard length just so he can press the tip of his cock against her clit. "You're so fucking wet. What do you want, babygirl?"

In a rare moment of sentimentality, Amber-Jade looked at him with a fond expression on her face. "You are pretty damn great", she admitted, impulsively leaning forward and kissing him softly in response to his dramatic antics. On the day that they had met in the library, the redhead hadn't been looking for anything, not even a hookup. She had intended on studying and then returning home but instead, she had met one of the most charming and charismatic men that she had ever encountered. Their hookup in the back of his truck should have been just sex, friends with benefits at most, but it was hard not to fall for Bryce Cortez. Between the sex, the driving lessons, the romantic dates and that goddamn smile... well, she had started to fall for him before she even realized what was happening. She looked up at him in surprise when he suddenly held her head still, moaning around him when she realized exactly why he had stopped her. Watching him lick her fingers clean was incredibly arousing, probably one of the hottest things that she had ever seen, and she suddenly couldn't wait for him to be buried inside her. "God, you have no idea how badly I need you to fuck me", she murmured as soon as he pulled her to her feet. She would have happily let him finish in her mouth if that's what he had needed from her but she was certainly thrilled to know that he wanted more than that; to know that she would also be getting pleasure from this. "Sex with you is never boring, I love it", she told him as he walked her over to the dresser. She was pliable under his touch, easily allowing him to bend her over the dresser and position one of her legs on top of it. A thrill rushed through her as she looked at herself in the mirror, suddenly aware of just how exposed she was. Rather than making her embarrassed or self-conscious, she thrived on it; her arousal escalated by the fact that she was able to watch Bryce whilst he watched her. The redhead moaned his name as he roughly pulled on her hair, his cock pressed against her clit. She pushed back against him, desperately seeking more. "I want you. I need you to fuck me, to wreck me. I want to see everything that you're doing to me", she was quick to respond. Neither of them had made any effort to grab a condom and although she wouldn't usually take such a risk, she found herself trusting that she was clean. "You should know that I'm clean and that I'm on the pill", she impulsively added, essentially telling him that there were no limits here; that he didn't need to stop to grab protection or pull out if he didn't want to.

Bryce found himself grinning into the kiss, this kiss being different from the others that they shared. While the others had always been hot, rough, and full of passion, this kiss had was gentle, soft, and intimate even - as if this was basically a routine for them. "And so are you." He said in a hushed down as he pulled away from the cute gesture. He didn't know what it was about her; if it was sass she gave him at times, the fiery passion he felt whenever with her, the way he found himself craving to be around her almost all the time, or if it was the way the two were slowly beginning to make each other more soft and vulnerable. He didn't know what it was, but all he knew was that there was something there, and for the first time, he didn't want to run. Still, he found himself being in the moment rather than dwelling on what could or couldn't be his feelings. Instead, he was focused on what was happening right now; her lips wrapped around his cock, and him getting ready to fuck her. The male's lips turned into a devilish smirk as he heard the precious words slip through the redhead's lips; the one's of how much she wanted this, how much she wanted to be fucked by him, and how much she enjoyed every little thing the two did together. The way she pushed back against him only resulted in the tip of his cock to further press right onto her clit. "You should know that I'm also clean. God, I can't wait to feel you." His voice was raspy and hushed as he spoke. He slid the tip of his length up and down her wet slit for a couple of more moments, letting out a breathless sigh before finally pushing in. He pushed into her slowly, allowing her to stretch around him, to truly feeling him, inch by inch. "You're so fucking tight. I love the way you feel around me."

Amber felt her cheeks warm slightly in response to his compliment. She wasn't usually so effected by someone's words but Bryce seemed to be an exception to that rule; probably because of the depth and extent of her feelings for him. She certainly hadn't wanted to fall for him but it had happened anyway and it was now like she was fighting a losing battle. Despite her efforts to protect her heart, she found herself falling more and more with every minute that they spent together; and although she knew that it would be wiser to distance herself from him completely, she was powerless to do so. "We should have had this conversation weeks ago, I can't believe we've been using condoms unnecessarily all this time", she laughed, although the sound turned into a moan as the head of his cock pressed directly against her clit. Amber-Jade let out a quiet moan as he slowly pushed inside her, his name falling from her lips when he was filling her completely. "You feel seriously amazing", she murmured as she looked into the mirror, wanting to see what they looked like. "This mirror was a great idea, it's seriously hot".

Bryce could see the effect he had on the redhead, and he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t love it. He loved that he was able to make her cheeks redden just slightly from his random remarks and compliments, and he loved the way she was obviously a different person around him. And yet, this was all quite weird to him. He had never grown to adore someone so much, so quickly like the way he did with Amber. She seemed to be the exception to some of his many rules and moral codes that he developed over the years. Things were simply just different with her. “Better be safe than sorry, right? But I hope you know that now I won’t be able to ever go back to what we were doing before...not when I’ve had you like this.” He warned, his voice in just a mere whisper as he spoke. The male moaned out as he continued to fill her, only stopping when he was in completely. His tongue ran over his bottom lip before biting gently, his lips turning up into another wicked smirk as he quickly made eye contact with her through the mirror. He pulled out slowly before thrusting back in once more, this time much harder. His thrusts began slow, torturous even — his pace dangerously slow and teasing. He slowly began to build up his pace, gaining more and more momentum with each and every thrust. As he got faster, his hands grip on her hair got harder, tilting her head back slightly as his other hand slowly crept up her back. “I love that you can see all of this...that you can watch and see how great you look while I fuck the shit out of you.” With that, he wrapped her free hand around her throat, squeezing gently and keeping it there as his the pace and roughness of his thrusts only increased, essentially holding her in place.

Amber had relied on her looks and her charm to survive some truly shitty situations; which meant that most of the time, random compliments really didn't affect her. Sure, she liked the flattery and she knew how to use it to her advantage but there was just something different about Bryce. The way he looked at her and the way he spoke to her caused her stomach to flutter nervously and her cheeks to heat up, which was certainly embarrassing but she seemed powerless to stop it. "It's a good thing that I made no mention of us going back to how things were before, then", Amber-Jade easily replied. After feeling Bryce completely, without even a thin layer of latex separating them, she had no desire to resort back to how things originally were. Bryce's pace started slow and she knew that he was just trying to get a reaction from her, one that she gladly gave him. "More, please. I want more", she practically begged, a sigh of relief and pleasure falling from her lips as she got what she wanted. One of the things that she liked best about hooking up with Bryce was the fact that he didn't feel the need to treat her gently, like she was fragile, even after everything he knew about her. She liked it rough and he was certainly capable of exploiting that. She whimpered, the sound one of pleasure, as he used his tight grip on her hair to tilt her head back slightly; her breathing heavy in response to everything he was doing to her and the fact that she could see it all. Tonight was about Bryce, about giving him what he needed to get through the night, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't wildly enjoying herself. The redhead loudly moaned his name as his hand wound around her throat and squeezed gently; he was essentially holding her in place as he fucked her and she was complete putty in his hands. "You feel so good, I love it when you fuck me. I'm going to think about tonight over and over again".

Bryce didn't know what exactly it was about the redhead that made him so open, so vulnerable - so willingly. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, the way she didn't flinch when he spoke about his past, or tried to pity and feel sorry for him in any way - the way she took everything she said with such stride, as if nothing could possibly scare her away. Maybe it was the way she was also mysterious herself; the way he found himself being more and more intrigued, and how she left him almost begging for more without even trying. He didn't know what it was, but one thing that he did know was that this was different, that she was different. Hearing her beg and plea for more of him simply just added more fuel to the fire that was his confidence, some that people may argue on whether or not he could afford it getting any bigger. Keeping her in place, his strokes slowly grew faster until he was at a moderate pace, but each and every one getting rougher and rougher - all as he moaned out her name quietly. Being inside of her, feeling as she continued to tighten all around him and moaning his name as if it was the only word she knew how to say - all feelings that were purely euphoric. It had been years since he had done any sort of drug, but even he knew that this feeling, this high, was greater than any high he's ever experienced. The grip that he had on her strawberry blonde hair tightened just a bit more, pulling her up a bit as he leaned down slightly, his lips immediately meeting her neck. "Fuck, Amber-Jade...I can't wait to make you cum all around me." He moaned out quietly, his breathing becoming more and more hitched by the second, his breathes increasing and becoming more heavy as he could've sworn he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He pressed a kiss onto the bare skin of her neck, right at the spot he took note that drove her just a little bit more wild. "I'm just getting started, baby. I'm going to fuck you so good tonight. I'm going to take you in every position possible, and not stop until you're a screaming, wet mess." He stated quietly, his voice hushed and raspy, with each sentence heavily punctuated by another kiss on the neck - in that same spot.

In her entire life, there was only one other person that she had felt so safe around, so completely comfortable to be truly and authentically herself around. That person was Ollie, who she had wound up giving her whole heart too. That really didn't bode well for how she would fare in her relationship with Bryce; the man already starting to occupy a great deal of her thoughts, even when they weren't physically together. She was already beginning to fall for him, which was a completely terrifying thought. He certainly wasn't fucking her as fast as he could but each of his thrusts felt amazing, the roughness sending a rush of pleasure through her; especially in conjunction with the angle of said thrusts, which caused him to brush against her g-spot with every moment. The redhead let out a needy whimper as he used the grip on her hair to pull her up a little further, allowing his lips to find the back of her neck. "T-that won't take long, not when you're fucking me like this", she easily admitted. Her words were punctuated with his name falling from her lips as he found that spot on her neck that always drove her crazy. "You can mark me", she said impulsively, not wanting his lips to leave her skin. "I'm yours all night, all yours. I want you to take me apart so thoroughly that I'm hypersensitive to your touch, so that I can't even walk tomorrow without being able to feel you still".

At her command, Bryce immediately began to suck gentle marks all up her neck, creating a linear line of bruises. The creating of the bruises would occasionally be followed by him running cool tongue over the slightly broken skin, and he could fight the stupid smirk on his face as he could physically see each and every bruise being created. She would either have to wear a scarf, or admit to the many people who tried to fuck her that she was already being fucked greatly by someone. Either way, the overly confident male had a feeling he would be the only one doing this to her for at least a week, and he wasn’t going to complain about that. His lips then made their way up to her ear. “All mine, huh? Good. By the time I’m done with you, you’re not going to want anyone else.” He whispered into her ear, his smirk continued to grow as he took her earlobe in between his teeth, gently biting at her skin before pulling away. His hands released the grip that they had on her hair and neck, immediately making their way towards her ass. He massaged her cheeks roughly, pulling away only for them to land on her ass hard, slapping her ass with both hands. Taking her ass in both of his hands, he held her down and immediately picked up the pace, thrusting in and out of her quickly and roughly, all while moaning out her name.

Amber-Jade didn't exactly make it a regular habit to ask the person that she was with to mark her despite the fact that she really enjoyed that mixture of pleasure and pain; mainly because it was a bitch to cover those marks. If she couldn't cover them with makeup, it was awfully hard to explain the marks away; especially if she wanted to take someone else to bed before they had healed. When it came to Bryce, though, she really didn't care. Maybe she'd sleep with him exclusively for the next week or so, at least until the marks had healed. The redhead breathlessly moaned his name in response to his efforts to mark her, incredibly turned on and practically dripping wet. "You drive me crazy, I think about you sometimes even when we aren't together". That was a big admission coming from Amber-Jade. She usually lived in the moment, meaning that she often didn't think about her hookups unless they were physically buried inside her. It came as no surprise that Bryce was the exception to that rule, the redhead having pleasured herself to thoughts of him more than once. "I find it hard to believe that other people let you fuck them like this, you want me just as badly as I want you", she said confidently. Her words were undermined slightly by the whimper that fell from her lips in response to his teeth on her earlobe; combined with the sudden absence of his hands on her hair and neck, something that she immediately missed. Before she could complain, his hands were on her ass and she cried out loudly when he spanked her, having always been a fan of the mixture of pleasure and pain. That was something that Bryce dished out well and she pushed back against him, meeting his thrusts as he picked up the pace. One of her hands drifted between her legs and she started to circle her clit in time with his thrusts, a steady stream of moans falling from her lips.

Bryce loved the thought of knowing that Amber-Jade would be reminded of what happened between them that very night for the next week or so. Just the mere thought of her wearing him, of her possibly being able to feel him after the fact -- well, it was a feeling that he selfishly loved feeling, especially when it came to her. "Mm, really? And what do you think about?" He asked curiously, his voice raspy and nearly breathless as he spoke. "You're right. I want you every fucking day. I've wanted you since the first day we met...I want to take you in every position. Every location. Every single time we're together." His words were each punctuated with a kiss on her jaw, his lips remaining by his ears as he whispered the words. A loud moan slipped through his lips as she pushed back against him, allowing him to go in just that much further, just that much deeper. The grip that his hands had on her ass only tightened, and his thrusts only got more relentless after the fact; a steady stream of both of their moans filling the room as he pounded into her. "You're so fucking tight. I could fuck you all night."

Over the years, the redhead had had her fair share of lovers but there was something about Bryce that separated him from the others. It wasn't just the fact that he was great in bed; it was the fact that she actually found herself craving him, eagerly looking forward to the next time that they would see each other again. That wasn't something that happened often for AJ as such feelings were usually a sign that she was getting too close to someone; yet with Bryce, the warning signs didn't send her running for the hills. "I think about the first time we met, about how you were just trying to be a gentleman by giving me a ride home but there was nothing chivalrous about what we did in your backseat and I loved it. I think about how you look at me like you can't wait to tear my clothes off; the way you kiss me; how good your fingers, your tongue, your cock all feel... I think about you more than I should", Amber-Jade admitted, lacking her usual level of filter because it was hard to think about anything other than Bryce and how he made her feel. "What's stopping you from doing that, from taking me all the time in every way and every place that you want me? I'm a very eager and willing participant", she pointed out. "It's a good thing that you're staying over tonight, then", she said simply, her words punctuated with a loud moan as the angle of his thrust hit perfectly. She could feel a familiar pleasurable tightening and she knew that it wouldn't take long before her orgasm hit her, the redhead speeding up the pace of the hand she had buried between her legs as she moaned Bryce's name.

Bryce‘s mind suddenly filled with images of the redhead fucking herself to the thought of him, thoughts that only resulted in him wanting to fuck her even harder. “Fuck, Amber...” He trailed off, his words and any source of self control failing him as a loud moan slipped from his lips. Hearing her follow statements, he placed his hand on top of hers, moving it to the wall to prepare her for what was to come. Both of his hands dropped to her hips and he her down further against the dresser while also using it to steady himself. His thrusts immediately became more forceful and brutal, quick and hard enough that the redhead’s body began jerking forward with each and every thrust as he fucked her relentlessly; the whole dresser beginning to rock with their bodies. “Come on, baby...” He trailed off breathlessly as he felt Amber beginning to tighten around him. “Be a good girl and come all over this nice and hard cock that’s buried deep inside of you.”

The comment about having touched herself to thoughts of him clearly did something to Bryce; the redhead making a mental note to show him what that looked like sometime in the future. If he fucked her so good just thinking about it, she was more than a little curious to see what would happen if he saw it first hand. As he pressed her further against the dresser and sent a relentless pace, the dresser moving with them due to the force of his thrusts, she could do little more than moan; the sounds becoming louder and louder until she was basically screaming with pleasure as her orgasm started to build. It was only seconds after his instruction that her orgasm hit her; the sensation incredibly intense. Her walls naturally tightened around him and her breathing was ragged, the redhead thoroughly wrecked in the most pleasurable of ways because of how he had just fucked her.

Pleasurable sounds coming from the two, along with sounds of their bodies clapping together filled the house at this point, as they both grew louder and louder with each thrust. Whatever worries he had coming to her that night officially dissipated now that he was buried deep inside her, pleasuring her and making her scream and come all over him. He moaned out loudly as he felt her walls tighten around him and her body beginning to shake, her name slipping from his lips with some profanities slurred in the mix. The pace of his thrusts quickened for a few moments, his climax continuing to build and build. He thrusted into her roughly one final time, this time staying completely inside of her as he finally came. Another moan and groan slipped from him as he filled up her hole, his thrusting picking back up slowly so that they could both ride out their highs. Looking up, he made eye contact with the redhead through the mirror and his lips turned up into a wicked smirk. One hand left her hips and slowly ran up her spine, stopping once he got to her hair. He bunched up her thick hair into his hand before pulling gently, bringing her upper body up. “God...you’re so beautiful. The things you fucking to do me...” He whispered into her ear, his voice raspy and his breathing ragged.

It didn't take long for Bryce to follow suit, thrusting roughly one last time before he came too. Amber-Jade had experienced her fair share of good -- even great -- sex over the years but there was something special about Bryce. They had an undeniable chemistry and he seemed to know her body just as well as he knew his own, which meant that she always had a good time when they were together. She sighed quietly as his hand ran up her spine, finding the gesture oddly sensual; only for the sound to turn into a needy whimper as he gripped her hair and gently pulled her upright. "I'm never going to get tired of doing this with you. You do things to me that no one else can", she admitted, her own voice little more than a whisper to match his own.

Bryce had his fair share of memorable sexual experiences, and yet he had never felt anything as sensual as he did with Amber-Jade. There was something about the two that made the experience all the better; whether it was their undeniable chemistry, or if it was just how similar they were in many aspects. “Good. I want to take you to places nobody else can.” He whispered into her ear, his cool breath hitting directly onto her skin. He released his tight grip from her hair and kissed her on the cheek as he finally pulled out of her. Standing up straight, Bryce turned the redhead around so that she was facing him, picking her up once more and taking her over to the bed. “Are you okay?” He asked as he gently placed her onto the mattress.

"You do. I just hope that I do the same for you", Amber-Jade quietly replied. The roughness of the moment was a complete contradiction to Bryce's softness afterwards and honestly, she found that incredibly touching. The redhead liked the fact that she got to see this side of Bryce, mainly because she had a feeling that it wasn't something that he showcased often. After carefully pulling out of her, he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. As he placed her down on the mattress, she pulled him down with her and curled up against him; her head resting on her chest. "I'm good. Really, really good. That was amazing", she murmured, pressing a gentle kiss against his chest. "Are you okay?"

“You do.” Bryce admitted, his voice soft as he pulled away from her body. He never expressed this soft side of him, the one that actually stood around after sex to make sure the other was okay, the one that made himself completely open for the taking. But he seemed to be showing a lot of that side that night. Part of him wondered if he should just make an excuse to leave in that moment, but he just physically couldn’t leave Amber-Jade — not after all the moments they had shared in just a span of a few hours. He smiled as she pulled him down with her, adjusting their bodies slightly so that he can pull the covers over their bare bodies. His heart began to race and his body tensed up as she curled up against him, and he found himself holding in his breath until he looked down at her. He saw how at peace she looked, how content, and how she looked as though she felt completely safe with him; and Bryce wanted to protect that at all costs, protect her. This sight allowed him to release his breath, sighing contently as his finger tips gently began grazing over the delicate skin of her back. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He said softly. Bringing his other hand up to her chin, he gently tilted her head up towards him, all before leaning down to press another gentle kiss against her lips. “Thank you for tonight.”

Amber-Jade had always told herself that she should never let her guard down because getting close to people was normally a recipe for disaster. When you cared about someone, you had given them power to hurt you. She had skated through life, making superficial connections that helped her to survive, but she worked hard to make sure that she didn't give anyone the power to hurt her... until she met Bryce. They had slept together on the first day that they had met, with the redhead originally intending that she would never see him again after that. The sex had been really good though so she had fallen into bed with him again... and again... and again. Somewhere along the way, they had actually realised that they had a fair amount in common and out of nowhere, she had feelings for Bryce. She didn't know how to switch that off or if she even wanted to switch it off. She smiled softly as he pulled the covers over their bodies, although that smile faded slightly when she felt him tense underneath her. It was a big deal for her to actually curl up with another person as she would normally be throwing her clothes on at this point, yet she felt like she may have crossed some boundary. The redhead prepared to pull away when Bryce started to breathe slowly again, his fingers grazing over her back; wordlessly letting her know that it was okay. "It's okay. You're welcome here anytime", she said after he had kissed her, genuinely meaning it.

Bryce didn’t realize that the first day that they met in the library, that first night that they exchanged words that quickly lead into a sex in the backseat of his pickup truck — that Amber-Jade would have such an impact on his life. What started off as just the two having fun, what started off as just sex, quickly lead into moments like that night; moments where the two almost relied on each other for some type of sanity. As if they both knew that the other was the only solution, as they were both entirely fucked in the head. He grew to care deeply about her, and even though he wanted to lie to himself, he knew that he was slowly beginning to develop feelings for Amber-Jade. Bryce simply just stared at her, his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips multiple times as he tried to make out his expression. In that moment he felt comfortable, safe even, but also fearful that he found such comfort and safety in someone he had only been seeing in what seemed to be a short amount of time. “We’re playing a very dangerous game, Amber-Jade.”

Amber-Jade hadn't expected to develop an emotional connection to Bryce. That had always been her golden rule -- don't get attached to people. In Amber-Jade's world, caring about people was a sign of weakness. Caring about someone meant that you were giving them the power to hurt you, whether by leaving or dying. She had gone against her own rule when it came to Bryce, though, and she was now in too deep; deep enough that she couldn't figure out how to detangle herself from his life without hurting herself by doing so. The redhead sighed softly at his next words, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Amber-Jade hadn't expected to develop an emotional connection to Bryce. That had always been her golden rule -- don't get attached to people. In Amber-Jade's world, caring about people was a sign of weakness. Caring about someone meant that you were giving them the power to hurt you, whether by leaving or dying. She had gone against her own rule when it came to Bryce, though, and she was now in too deep; deep enough that she couldn't figure out how to detangle herself from his life without hurting herself by doing so. The redhead sighed softly at his next words, agreeing wholeheartedly. "I know. It's terrifying but I don't know how to stop. I'm not even sure that I want to stop".

Bryce had always known that there was something different about Amber-Jade, something that he just couldn't put his finger on. But even then, he had never expected for her to be different in his life. With everything going on -- with the whirlwind of emotions that he faced now that he was finally beginning to live a stable lifestyle, he sort of found comfort knowing that there was someone who just...got him. He knew that he would be forever grateful for the redhead just for this night alone, as she was there for him, with no circumstances, no strings attached, and no questions asked. "I can say the same." He replied, his voice hushed, merely a whisper. The man slowly ran his fingers through her long red hair, taking her in fully as he pressed his lips against her forehead. "We should probably get some sleep though, if we want to have energy for tomorrow." Bryce said with a smile, giving the girl a playful wink. With that, he turned his body slightly to turn off Amber-Jade's bedside light, making it official that he wasn't planning on leaving her as he slowly drifted away into slumber.

[thran-duils]

Use All of Me (P.11)

Title: Use All Of Me (Part Eleven) Summary: Fem!Reader x Dark Mob!Steve Rogers. The Avengers are heroes saving the world but in this AU, they are also permitted by the powers in charge to have less than favorable business underneath their guise of mere superheroes. Steve and Tony are at the helm, keeping their empire’s wealth in check, both devious and perilous if crossed. Steve takes a liking to the reader at a party and it may be her undoing to her autonomy choosing to go home with him. Words: 2,711 Warnings: Dark AF, angst, emotional/mental abuse, smut, breeding, death Author’s Note: As some of my midwest friends have poked fun at, a freeway to me is an interstate, like I5 and I90. A highway to me refers to state routes or highways with stop lights along it at certain spots. I know it’s not a huge deal but I like to explain cause it’s definitely regional and sets the scene of what I am thinking of when I’m writing.

Part Ten || Part Twelve || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

“I need somebody, ANYBODY, to get in a car or something and get to Grand Central terminal right now.”

Steve was on multiple way call with the team that answered the phone, sitting in the passenger seat while Natasha sped down the freeway. Tony had separated from them, heading towards the Avengers facility where he could have more cameras which gave him more eyes. Facial recognition was granted at the facility grounds on a larger scale of satellites too unlike his house.

“You wanna tell us what for?” Rhodes asked perplexed.

“Y/N left,” Steve snapped. There was a chorus of murmurs from all ends of the phone call, generally ignored by Steve who was too hot headed to acknowledge their concern. “I don’t know where the hell she is going. But Nat heard her whispering to her friend in the bathroom about taking a train. To god knows where.

“Do we know it’s going to be Grand Central?” Sam inquired calmly.

“No, not for sure! But I want it covered. As soon as possible! They got a half hour head start or so from my house. Nat and I are going to Penn. That’s where the Amtrak is. Tony’s accessing surveillance, using facial recognition.

“What do you want us to do if we find her?” Bucky asked.

“Don’t hurt her,” Steve ordered.

“Well, no shit,” Bucky cut in, unable to hold back his sarcasm. “I meant, where do you want us to—”

“She’s with one – or two, I’m not sure – of her friends,” Steve interrupted, strained. “Try to make it as quiet as possible. I don’t want it all over the evening news. Just—get Y/N away from there.”

“What about her friends?” Clint pointed out.

“I’ll deal with them later,” Steve got out in a surly tone. “Call me if you find her.”

<><><>

You laid across the backseat of the car, examining your nails.

“I really don’t like you having no seatbelt on,” Natalie said for what felt like the tenth time since you had escaped past the gate of your house.

“I’ll sit up when my back hurts,” you responded, stretching one of your legs as far as you could towards the ceiling. You grunted when you felt a pull in your lower abdomen.

“We are out of the gate, Y/N. And away from cameras. We are on a highway.”

“There are still cameras. But I know. It’s been like an hour.”

You were tingling with anticipation, threatening to eat you alive. You half expected Natalie to slam on her brakes at any seconds because Steve landed in front of the car in the lane. You doubted though he would want to put you in danger and that could cause a huge accident.

Would not want to hurt his precious cargo, you thought to yourself darkly.

Yua sighed from the passenger seat and looked back at you around the seat. She had decided to come with the pair of you and had been filled in on the situation after you had successfully gotten through the gate. You almost snorted at the absurdity of the fact all you had to do was wear a hood and one of Steve’s baseball caps to shield your face and make sure to not make eye contact with the guards meandering around the gate. Holding the backpack in your lap had helped to hide your stomach.

“Y/N. Sit up. Please. Stop making Natalie get worry lines, it’s starting to stress me out. It’s not like they won’t be looking for Natalie’s plates in the cameras if they have access outside of New York.” You were sure Tony did. His company was worldwide. “I don’t think them seeing your face is going to make any difference. They saw you get in the car on the surveillance tapes at your house by now.”

You exhaled heavily, knowing she was right. You imagined Steve seeing the tapes and turning around to tear a door of his hinges, hurling it across the room. You would laugh at the imagery if it did not simultaneously terrify you. Sitting up with some difficulty, you patted Natalie’s shoulder who thanked you.

The two of them had turned their phones off – you had left yours behind. You were sure Tony would figure out how to track theirs but yours was definitely compromised. You did not even want it on you, choosing to leave it on the entrance table by the front door.

It was scary. You could not stop thinking about how angry Steve would be – was. It was present tense now for sure. He had to have figured out you were missing by now. Otherwise, Wanda, Bryce, and Patricia were completely inept, which you knew was not the case.

Staring out the window, you watched the trees go by trying to think about the nature walks you could go on without watchful eyes around the cabin. It lulled you into some sense of relaxation.

<><><>

Steve stormed through the terminal, his eyes watchful on the crowd for anything that screamed Y/N from behind or a profile. His eyes zeroed in on the back of a woman’s head and he changed course quickly, coming up to her, shoving his way through the crowd much to some people’s annoyance at being shoved aside. He grabbed her arm and whipped her around when he was on her.

She cried out in half fear and half pain.

It was not Y/N.

“Sorry,” he said not sounding sorry at all. “Thought you were someone else.”

She glared at him, rubbing her arm. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Steve bit back a comment, turning from her without a word.

“Hey, aren’t you Captain America?” someone asked him from a few feet away. That caught the woman’s attention, as well as others.

Steve shot the kid an annoyed look and said clipped, “Not right now, kid. Sorry. I’m busy.”

He took off again before anyone could say anything else, god forbid ask him for an autograph or a selfie. His heart was hammering, searching desperately. He came to a stop, staring out over the crowd. Hope she was here was dwindling fast. He felt like his chest was going to explode from the myriad of feelings coursing through him right now.

I’m not seeing her, Natasha texted him. He had sent her the opposite way from him, telling her to check the female bathrooms that direction. He was getting similar texts from the group at Grand Central too and he could not stand to look at his phone anymore, shoving it into his back pocket furiously.

He ran his hand through his hair, tugging on it near the ends in frustration. He took one more stroll down the terminal, scouring it to make sure he had not missed her. Natasha appeared and without a word went into the bathrooms to cover her bases.

When she appeared again, she was empty handed. She approached him slowly, with caution, his gaze burning into her.

“I shouldn’t have left the house,” Natasha said, shaking her head. She looked disappointed and guilty.

“You couldn’t have known it was going to be right then,” Steve said tightly. He had little patience for coddling someone else’s feelings right now but extended the gesture briefly because it was Nat. His face hardened, shaking his head slightly. “I’m gonna tell them I’m heading home to speak to that bumbling idiot I call my security guard.”

<><><>

Natasha had barely got the car into park before Steve threw the door open and made a beeline for the front door of his house. The door bounced off the wall with the sheer force he threw it open with. Natasha followed him, far more collected. She grabbed the door, closing it, eyeing the hole the doorhandle had made into the wall. She shook her head before following Steve towards the living room.

Bryce stood up from the couch on sight seeing Steve. Wanda did as well, far less stricken looking than Bryce though. She looked concerned.

“Did you—” she started to ask Steve, but he cut her off, all his rage radiating towards Bryce as he stormed in.

“How the fuck did you let this happen?” Steve roared at Bryce.

“The front gate didn’t catch her—” Bryce tried to pass the buck onto the other men, but Steve was not having an ounce of it.

He was towering over Bryce now, Bryce trying to not fold in Steve’s shadow. “I don’t care about the front gate! She shouldn’t have even been able to get into the car!”

Blubbering, Bryce tried to say, “There were a lot of women, Mr. Rogers. She was starting to say goodbye to them all—”

“You didn’t think to be outside? To keep an eye on her? Not even for a second? That didn’t cross your mind?”

“I didn’t expect her to leave.”

“Now that—” Steve snarled, pointing threateningly in Bryce’s face, causing him to flinch. “I find to be an egregious lie!”

“S-s-sir?”

Steve moved closer if that was possible, his nose inches from Bryce’s. Bryce visibly gulped, trying to not break eye contact with him. Steve’s voice was dangerously low, “Do you have something to tell me, Bryce?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“Bryce. I am giving you one chance to be honest with me: Did Y/N ask you for help to leave me?”

Bryce’s forehead was covered in a sheen of nervous sweat. His eyes darted nervously to Wanda who was standing nearby, watching the scene unfold curiously. She did not move to help, and he was forced to focus back on Steve knowing Natasha would not help him under any circumstance.

He licked his lips nervously and exhaled shakily. “Yes. But—”

He did not get to finish because Steve had taken a step back, cocked his arm back and socked him straight in the face, knocking him backward. Bryce yelped in agony, grasping at his nose as he laid on the ground, blood gushing from his broken nose. Steve unholstered his gun and Bryce saw, his eyes growing wide as saucers. His broken nose was quickly forgotten, holding up his hands in front of him as he pleaded for Steve to not do it, but his sniveling went unheeded. Steve unloaded half a round into his chest.

Steve’s hand shook now, and he lowered the gun slowly to his side. His eyes were absent of warmth, staring down at the man who he had entrusted his future wife and children’s safety to. Bryce’s eyes were still open in fear, blood trickling from his mouth as his head and arms slumped to the ground. His chest stopped moving in a matter of seconds, lying in a quickly forming puddle of red.

Rolling his shoulders back and cracking his neck, Steve replaced his gun, taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“They could have gone anywhere,” he finally said tautly.

“Steve, I’m sorry,” Wanda offered, taking a few steps towards him.

“You weren’t in charge of watching her,” Steve responded, still not looking at the two women behind him.

The front door opened loudly down the hall and there were running steps, putting the trio on the defense quickly. Two of Steve’s security guards came into view, both out of breath. They both visibly relaxed seeing Steve still standing there, their eyes only flicking to Bryce’s body on the ground for a second. To their credit, they both did not blanch.

One offered, “Sorry for running in. We heard shots.”

Steve ignored her apology, beginning to walk. “Clean up the body and get rid of it. Now,” Steve ordered impatiently, moving past her.

“Where are you going?” Natasha asked, moving to follow him, Wanda in tandem.

“Back to the facility. It’s time to brainstorm and make a different plan,” Steve said over his shoulder.

<><><>

The cabin was two stories, an open floor plan on both floors. There was a wall shielding the top loft bedroom from view and a bedroom on the ground floor. Immediately, Natalie said the three of you could sleep upstairs since there was a queen bed and another twin bed. Yua pointed out that there was a back door right next to the other bedroom and you would be able to hear if someone came in there. Plus, people in horror movies always ran upstairs which ended in their demise. She stopped arguing when Natalie said there was a staircase from the upper deck outside the bedroom leading to the backyard.

“Wow, there are some CDs here,” Yua said flipping through a small case next to an entertainment center. “It’s like we are back in the 90s.”

“Hey, that entertainment console was top notch in the 90s. Don’t trash talk it,” Natalie joked.

“Gotta leave things people don’t want to steal since they use this as an air bnb,” you teased and Natalie pointed at you, acknowledging that.

Yua laughed, “They’re all burned CDs too. Oh, look. Top hits ’04. Oh, that’s past the 90s. Upgrading.” You chuckled as she pulled the CD out, opening the console. “Oh, my! And it’s a six disc! We could change albums whenever we want. Is there a remote? Oh, yes!” She chose five more random albums and put them in as well, closing it and choosing the original disc she had put in.

The first song started out and the three of you immediately made eye contact. “Oh my god. I have not heard this song in forever. A true lost Destiny’s Child gem,” Natalie said, unable to stop laughing. “Ooh, I put it right there, made it easy for you to get to…” she began to sing as she moved towards the kitchen to put the bags of food on the counter.

She had stopped at a mini mart near the bottom of the mountain to grab a good amount of food to hold you guys over. Yua and her had left you in the car to be able to cover the store quicker to leave as little time as possible staying stagnant in a parking lot. The whole time you had been on edge, pulling your hood as far down your face as you could while trying to keep a look out. Every car that drove by on the highway made the hairs on your arms stand up, praying it would not whip around and come back to you.

“If Mr. Brightside isn’t on this album, I’m going to be really disappointed. That was a true gem of my childhood,” Yua chimed in. She flopped onto the couch, stretching out. “Feels good to not be in the car. Hey, Nat, can you bring me one of my beers. Please?” She shot you an apologetic look. “Sorry, Y/N.”

“Just four more months,” you said lightly, touching your stomach as you sat down as well.

Yua reached over, caressing your stomach lightly. “Can’t you not drink while you’re breastfeeding too?”

“Don’t tell me that.”

“Sorry,” Yua snickered as Natalie came out of the kitchen holding a beer and a glass of wine.

She held it out to you, and you stared at her in bewilderment that she was offering you alcohol.

“It’s not rosé,” Natalie smiled. “It’s sparkling. A blush kind.”

“How nice of you,” you said, smiling in return. You took a small sip and said, “Hmm. It’ll do.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘thank you, Natalie’,” Natalie intoned, turning on her heel and walking back towards the kitchen.

“Thank you, Natalie,” you and Yua intoned back in unison.

“I’ll make dinner. What’s it gonna be? Frozen meal of mac and cheese or frozen meal of Salisbury steak?” Natalie asked, facing the two of you. “Or… there’s tater tots. Or pizza… and we could make a fruit salad on the side.”

“Thank god for the fruit,” Yua commented, grinning. “I say you make the pizza and fruit. Gotta pretend Y/N is still trying to be healthy somehow.”

Despite laughing, you did think of how Steve would react seeing you eating all this processed food, the same day you had cake no less. Touching your stomach again, you rubbed gently, thinking surely Steve was trying his damnedest to see you too.

~~~

Tags: @imsonick , @alexakeyloveloki, @kvzctam, @ironlady1993, @taintedgenre, @inlovewiththefictionalcharacters @roxyfan14-blog

[unincorporated-human-blog]

Peter Campus Artist Review

Peter Campus

Biography

Peter campus was born in New York in 1937. Campus was born to a Ukrainian mother and a Romanian father who happened to be a doctor n his profession. At the age of seven tragedy struck the Campus family when Peters mother passed away; this tragic event forever splashed its somber colors onto not only campus’ youth but spread like wildfire through his family life as well. Campus always had an influence of art around him growing up due to the fact several of his family members were actual artists at the time. Due to this cultural influence, Peters father taught him the art of photography and painting as hobbies that would soon take a big hold throughout his career. Peter graduated high school and moved onto Ohio State University in which he graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology. After completing his career, Peter actually studied at The City College Film Institute and worked for Boston’s famous WGBH-TV in which he worked as a production manager and editor for the making of documentaries. This is when Campus actually purchased his first video equipment for himself. A few years later in 1975, campus was awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a fellowship for individuals who have shown more than exceptional yearn for productive scholarships or those who have exceptional creative ability. A year later, Campus received the National Endowment for this fellowship. During the 1970’s peter published many seminal video art works that addressed the issues of identity and reality and the connection between the viewer and the work itself. In 1971, Campus made his first video tape named Dynamic Field Series in which a camera was suspended above the artist as he moved the camera with ropes while lying down. In 1978, Campus made Head of a man with death on his mind, a twelve-minute video of a man’s face staring straight into the face of the camera. Later on in the 1982, Campus moved from video art to photography to study the world of nature and landscape photography, a drastic change from his video production art pieces. At this same time, Peter started teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design and finally moved to teaching at New York University in 1983. More recently, Peter Campus has continually evolved in his art with new pieces such as Calling For Shantih at Cristin Tierney in New York, NY as well as his exhibition Now and Then at the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in New York, NY in 2012.

  Art Critiques and inspiration

 1.      Three Tansitions (1973)

The main form of this piece is video art. The artist uses different forms in each of the three transitions throughout the video. The first transition shows a sense of breaking through between the sense of what’s real and what is not real. The transition shows this through the someone breaking through the video of the artist putting paper up. The second transition shows the artist wiping away his face and as the original face is wiped, another video of the original artist is shown. This resembles the idea of identity, expressing that you are your own self on the inside no matter what you wipe on or off of you, both physically and emotionally. The last transition shows a paper getting burned whereas the paper appears as if it were a mirror. The mirror gets warped since the paper burns away, only leaving behind remnants of the artist’s visible face. Thus showing the distorted version of reality. The artist is obviously showing some sort of self-infliction throughout this piece.

 2.      A Spider Waits (1995-99)

The main form in this is photography. The image shows a yellow leaf on a tree branch with a spider sitting on the leaf. The subject of this piece appears to be the idea of all things come to those who wait, this idea that even “strong” individuals should take their time. The context behind this photo is the same idea that everything has to wait for something, whether that be food, love, growth, etc. The artist uses natural colors and forms to embrace this concept and to show the beauty in all.

 3.      At Rest (unknown)

The main form of this piece is video art. The video is a collection of different landscapes scenes with not much activity going around them. The videos fade to black and white and transition to the next one. This video shows the serenity that nature has without the urge from others to push it in one direction or another. The Form of this piece shows the concept that even though we as humans still exist throughout nature, the concept that when we are at rest, everything else is also taking a break. The context of this piece shows a sense of calmness and ease; to allow the audience to understand the serene constructs of nature and the world around us.

 All three of these pieces were influenced by the form of minimal art. Peter takes these images of everyday objects or things we see outside in the natural world and paints them in such a way to provide emotion from one still of, for example, a rock or a leaf. Peter expressed that the transition from video art to photography was not about the switch but this concept of looking on the outside instead of the inside in a figurative way. Peter expresses his examinations of the self as too overwhelming such as our busy and hectic culture and began to look at nature as a sort of escape from reality.

  Contributions to me

Peter Campus’ art has opened my eyes to a wider spectrum of perspective. It has shown me that there is always something better coming up next, to look on the inside is to look at your true self, and this concept that serenity comes in the oddest places or from the oddest objects. This art work has helped influence myself into looking at things with a different view each time so something new may be discovered. As an artist though, this has opened my eyes into what art actually is and it has sort-of answered part of the question. For me, art is the artist; art doesn’t have limitations unless you give them constrictions to live by and without them, anything can be expressed by your true identity and drive to empower the subject of the piece.

[cohen-haxton]

Little Talks || Logan + Chloe

@chlo-miller

He waited for her to answer the door, his hands playing with the pieces of paper her was holding. Even if Logan hadn’t shown it as much as Chloe, he hated the way things were between them. He had never intended for them to end up like this. The fighting and the hurt... It was all that seemed to define them anymore, and neither of them seemed to know what to do. He still didn’t, but he had come up with a plan after their texts that he hoped would at least guide them into a new direction instead of this cycle of anger that influenced every conversation as of late. When Chloe answered the door, the man gave her no time to question what he was doing.

“Look before you say anything, just listen,” he took in a long breath before getting out what he needed to. “This past year, well it’s been a pretty shitty one for us since I got here. One that honestly had me questioning if I should have come back into your life at all. Yeah, I came back, but our friendship really didn’t and I think we’ve just been too afraid to say that. But the thing I realized is we haven’t focused on it more as focusing on how other relationships have changed it, and maybe I’m to blame for that. For not saying things that I should have years ago,” he shook his head. “But that’s not why I’m here. I don’t know the solution to all those things, but I just want my friend back, Chlo. So I have a proposition.” Logan unfolded the papers in his hand and presented them to her. “Two plane tickets to Rhode Island for the weekend. We need to reconnect and maybe where it all started might have an answer on how to do that. I don’t want this isn’t about Bryce and Amelia, or the other things,” he referenced to the revealed feelings they had shared. “Just our friendship.”

[melodramamademydreamscometrue]

THE STORY OF HOW MELODRAMA MADE MY DREAMS COME TRUE: a timeline by Tyler Luke

lemme tell you a story real quick...

warning: i am not a new york times writer. These words were haphazardly self revised. please bear with me

prologue

new years day, 2017

I began 2017 chilling in the hot tub with one of my close friends; otherwise known as Bryce Hedman. Pretty sure we were faded off something. We both come from humble beginnings and live a rather modest lifestyle. Anyways we were scheming for what the year had to offer. "2017 is the year to be a fucking savage" was the quote to live by. We made a deal that we would meet someone famous. (please do keep in mind that we live in Ledyard, Connecticut with a population of 15,000 & it’s greatest achievement is that it is close to the casinos foxwoods and mohegan sun). my choice was my all time favorite artist: Lorde. Bryce’s choice has, to this day, been unnamed. He ended up laughing at me when I confidently said I’d meet Lorde by the end of 2017.  I’ve been trying to talk with her for years now, and 2017 would be the year (I hoped).

january, 2017

It’s mid-January now and I randomly got a call from the UK. It was an artist that was associated with Skepta and the new age grime movement of the UK. he was inquiring about the purchase of some of the sweaters i designed (most notably seen on rejjie snow and ratking). this seemed like some sort of degree of separation to my goal. How though, I wasn’t sure.  At this point another close friend, Joaquin Lopez-Watson, was informed on my 2017 aspirations (and was doubtful). Around this time, the governors ball list was released. I saw Lorde and Skepta were performing governors ball... interesting coincidence. However, i got too confident with myself. The Skepta plan fell through the cracks when i fell out of contact with the guy who called me because my cellular plan does not send or receive anything international. Looking back, I don’t even see how this plan would have been successful. I was just wilding out in my fantasies. Anyways, January progressed. i was watching a lot of twin peaks and painting in my room. Eventually, me and my long-time girlfriend, Carly, began to realize that our lives were growing apart and decided to go on a break. That led to a series of personal changes and a throbbing depression. I was in a slump. This led to long drives playing pure heroine (especially buzzcut season) as a meditative tactic. I ended up visiting Bryce at school with Joaquin for a night of debauchery. Keep in mind, Bryce is on the track team and they had practice the next morning. So, Joaquin and i ended up getting belligerently wasted to the point where we demanded to play twin peaks despite the fact that Bryce's team was studying a marathon. There are two New Zealanders on Bryce's team: Cam and Holly. I pressed them for information regarding if they know Lorde or anyone who has contact to Lorde. Cam took a pic with Eliza McCartney once and got rejected after giving her his number. Holly’s family owns an ice cream shop called “Lick This” in Napier. To all the New Zealander’s reading this… i recommend it solely off of fact that i find the name funny (I've never had the ice cream, I’m sure it’s good). Then I went home, and then went back to my university in Bristol, Rhode Island a few days later.

february, 2017

The break with Carly ended; however, there was still some disconnection. We were approaching a difficult time with the long distance relationship lifestyle. We both got accepted to study abroad at different times and Carly is working at Yellowstone National Park for the Summer. Most of our days are spent apart considering the fact that we were hundreds of miles apart. We spent our last valentine’s day together and then called it quits in the car outside of my dorm. That coined the first time we didn’t talk for nearly 4 years (we started dating when royals blew up for all the Lorde fans reading this). Carly was the one who actually showed me Royals when it first became popular. It was rough for a few weeks; however, it was definitely the right thing to do. I had a hard time through balancing mental health coupled with the overload of school work. I began to have mild mental breakdowns from here to there which was fueled by depression and anxiety. Lorde was ghost for quite sometime in between. Coincidentally, about two weeks after we broke up, she stealthily teased towards a new song. The hype was real. At this time, I kept my Lorde fandom limited to a few tweets here and there as well as a poster on my dorm room wall from the Pure Heroine vinyl insert. I found out that a fellow colleague, Mike Jarmon, was a fan of her. My roommate, Mackenzie, was also quite the fan of her. We would randomly comment on Lorde photos saying “ELLA I’M IN NYC LET’S CHILL” in reference to one time we saw rejjie snow comment that on a picture. Anyways, back to the release of the new single. We were all intrigued. I even got back into contact with Carly for strictly discussing the new song. At the time, the website was titled M********. Late nights in the design studio at school were greeted with incessant lorde reddit perusal for the sake of further deciphering the messages. There was a lot of speculation (such as the name of Frida Kahlo’s birth name: Magdalena) as to what the cryptic messages meant, but no definite answers.

march, 2017

It rolled around to Friday and I was in class with Mike and Mackenzie when the song was released. We played it mid class and danced; the professor wasn’t pleased. We still ended up playing it for the whole class which was followed by going back to the dorm for the mid afternoon nap, and falling asleep to it. Green light was that song to listen to; a story of heartbreak and waiting for things to be okay: quite relevant to my situation. The release of Green Light eventually led to the announcement of the album title, then another single, then an album drop date (I think I have that order correct). I went on spring break in mid-march. I went on a short vacation with Bryce and his track team down to Delaware where we chilled for a week. The two New Zealanders mentioned before were there. We all ended up acoustically singing Lorde songs after dinner once (after consuming a few drinks as well).

two month hiatus of stagnancy, depression, and loneliness

mid april, 2017

Kendrick’s album dropped and it was nearing the time of coachella where Kendrick and Lorde, my two favorite artists, will be headlining. Due to living all the way across the nation, I had to live stream it from my computer in my dorm room. The stream was incredible, Lorde was a superstar. She performed a few new songs which were riveting and detailed and powerful. She was doing her thing in front of over a hundred thousand people. I remember discussing with my friends that it must be an unreal feeling to be in the crowd when an artist brings out a new song. Being the first to hear something in the world, that’s uncanny to think about. There’s around 7 billion people in the world, and you are ahead of everyone else; you’re at the forefront; the highest percentile. Insane. No one can take that away from you… you’re the first. That night, I had a vivid dream that I was invited to hear some exclusive content from Lorde. It was one of those dreams that you wake up pissed off because it’s just a dream. Anyways, May came around and more buzz around the album was beginning to arise. But this was a different kind of buzz. I had to throw that pun in real quick before the transition.

real shit unfolds

june 13, 2017; 8:45 pm

I unexpectedly woke up at 8:45 am. I say unexpectedly because in summer break, there isn’t a day that I wake up before noon (unless I had work). A few minutes after waking up, I get a tweet notification from Lorde. The tweet read,

“NYC... 9pm tonight i wanna do something with u. super intimate capacity — 18+ — first 45 to email melodramalistening@gmail.com” - @lorde 

I IMMEDIATELY emailed. This was the chance. This was it. The day progressed and I drove around Watch Hill, Rhode Island to catch up on some music while gazing at all the mansions the peninsula has to offer. I was driving, listening to music, looking at mansions, and avidly checking my email for a response.

june 13, 2017; 4:00 pm

4:00 pm rolled around and I had to go to work. I work at a local pizza shop in Mystic, Connecticut called ‘184 Pizzeria.’ I was in contact with Mike Jarmon because, he too, entered the melodrama email contest. He checked his mail, and behold, he was within the first 45 people and secured a spot. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it out to the city that night. So… he sent in my name and information. I FELT LIKE CHARLIE WHEN HE FOUND THE GOLDEN TICKET. I then had to finesse my way out of work. I told my boss that I had a dream to fulfill and ended up just leaving mid shift after completing the final order of the night. I raced home to tell my mom that I was going to New York City. She didn’t believe me when I told her that I was able to go to this event and was averse to allowing me to go. But shit, I’m 20 years old now, I decided to go anyways. It was 6:30 at this point and New York City is roughly 2 hours 30 minutes away. I got there in around 1 hour 45 minutes. I was whipping and weaving and praying I didn’t get pulled over. If you know me, you understand I almost always go the speed limit because once I got a ticket for $200 for going 10 mph over on the highway. But, no paranoia could bring me down. I crossed over the G.W. Bridge and saw the wondrous skyline. I knew I was near. I didn’t even have time to change or shower before I left. I was still smelling like pizza grease and mozzarella cheese. I then ended up having to city drive for the first time. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I ended up parking at a garage that had uncanny prices, but it was well worth it. I got out of the car and ran to the address from the email; a small karaoke bar called Sing Sing Ave. A. There was an eclectic crowd waiting outside. A melting pot of people ranging from various backgrounds and identities. But, we were all there for one common purpose: Lorde. The bouncer popped his head out of the door multiple times. I spoke with a few girls in line who were convinced it was a prank. Eventually the bouncer and a man with the list came out of the door and began to check off people’s names. I was shaking, for real. I didn’t know what to expect. What was this event for? Is she actually here? My heart was racing.

june 13, 2017; 8:30 pm

I approached the man with the list and said my name. He then checked me off the list and the bouncer escorted me inside where he checked my ID to see if I was 18 years old. Sure enough I am, so he further escorted me down a dark staircase where there were I met two guys who were locking up the cell phones. I had to send one last message to my mom before I locked up my phone. The message said, “IN AT THE SHOW THEY DONY LET US USE OUR PHONES I’M SO EXCITED” (8:49 pm) (yes the spelling/grammar errors were in there).

june 13, 2017; 9:00 pm

I then entered the room where there were people scattered on couches and lounge stools while eating pizza and burgers and fries and socializing and anxiously awaiting what was coming. Within a few instances, Lorde walks in and shimmies through us. She is dancing and smiling and greeting people with exuberance. She then grabbed the microphone at the front of the room and spoke to us. This was real. In this very moment, I realized that the superstar that rocks adidas superstars was just a normal person at heart (just with a lot of talent and beauty). This wasn’t Lorde, this was Ella. She spoke with us, not to us. She embraced conversation. She asked the people’s names before talking to them and then used their name in conversation. This was Ella. Ella told us that she has a surprise for us. She claims that we were going to be the first group of people in the world to hear her long awaited album: melodrama. We all began cheering. I remembered back to my dream after watching the Coachella live stream. This was actually unbelievable, but it felt so real. It was some weird twin peaks type shit where it’s hard to tell the difference between dreams and reality. It felt so vivid and clear and wonderful. Everyone was there, completely devoid of cell phones and social media, for a shared human experience. This NEVER happens anymore. I will go out to eat or go to the park and see two people on their individual phones instead of engaging in real human interaction. This was different. This was genuine. She played the album all the way through. From front to back. In between songs she broke down the purpose of each song and told funny or sweet stories about the creative process. She shared personal experiences with Jack Antonoff during the copious amount of time they spent in the creation of the album at his Brooklyn apartment. She told us the feeling of just laying back in the dark and listening to the album from front to back. She shared her affection for the word “juicy.” She told us that she didn’t record melodrama in a record booth; but rather, she did it in the open air to get a more genuine and integrated sound. As a self proclaimed DIY musician (making sub par rap music from my bedroom with my friends), I was relieved when she said she didn’t use a record booth. There were times where the aux cord would begin to shorten out and she’d just laugh it off. Other times she’d try to turn it up when the volume was already maximized. The album was serene, intense, heartfelt, warm, jumpy; everything I could possibly imagine. Due to my recent break up, I took all of the words Ella said to heart. She asked the question, “have you ever broken up in a car before?” and I immediately flashed back to the time that Carly and I decided to call it quits. That moment of stagnancy. The moment where you’re just sitting there, side by side, for what seems to be the last time ever. The final moment doesn’t feel like it will ever end; just permanently stuck in purgatory. She passed around handwritten lyrics and I riffled through them to find one that had personal significance to me. The lyrics read,

“Please could you be tender and I will sit close to you

Let's give it a minute before we admit that we're through”

These words perfectly captured the feeling of being in the car during the final moments. The moments of holding on so hard for the words to say or the hand to hold or the love to share. That was the final moment.

Ella progressed through the songs, and told stories about being in the same seat as Pharrell and Jay-Z in Jungle City or how Pharrell randomly said “Saturn” in conversation. She shared that her favorite album is ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ by Kanye and that her favorite song is Runaway. These were real conversations that she would have with her friends, which all of us were in this moment. She would be dancing along to the songs with us as she seemed to be feeling out all the drums in the air. Although most of us were dancing, she did open up the option to just sit back and embrace the moment. Another standout moment was the song Supercut. Through a definition of what a supercut was (a highlight reel), she then went into a beautiful and heart wrenching anecdote about perusing through the memories of all the good times between you and your partner after a breakup. She said this happened to her as she was laying in bed. I went through the exact same situation after I left the car. I just crawled into bed and laid facing the wall as if it was broadcasting all of the wonderful memories that I never want to forget. I saw the moments where I carved our names into a tree in the woods where we first kissed, or the first time we held hands at the movies, and the times we would be singing every song that came on the playlist during the midsummer days, or the times we would sneak out and sleep in my car to be able to hold each other at night. “In my head, I play a supercut of us” echoed throughout my mind when she first played it. I was taken back to that night. I was in the moment. I closed my eyes and put my head down and just listened and reflected. It was a beautiful moment. Then liability reprise followed and it was hypnotizing. All of the vocal snippets flowing throughout the mix. It perfectly captured not knowing your place in search of somewhere to go. This notion perfectly segued into the final song: Perfect Places. Perfect places is poppy and upbeat and glorious... but then you listen to the lyrics. It tells the story of living a chaotic life that is fueled by spur of the moment actions and searching for “perfect places.” Then the song ends where she claims, “what the fuck are perfect places anyway?” It all connects back to Green Light. Awaiting that green light, waiting for that change, waiting for a new adventure. It all doesn’t just happen in an instant. It takes a long time to rebuild yourself after being in someone else’s arms for so long. Finding your identity is strong theme of the album, and it’s something that I’ve been struggling with. I’ve been searching for too many “perfect places.” I’ve been rushing my life through trying to do everything I can instead of realizing that things take time to create change, much like how melodrama took time to be released. There’s a conglomerate of emotions that are poured throughout the album that I strongly identify with. Actually, I feel like many others, if not everyone, can do the same. Saying Melodrama is a ‘break up album’ would be a strong dis-justice. Melodrama is about change and searching for your place; whether it be changing jobs, finding your friend group, transferring to a new school, experiencing any form of loss. Ultimately, it exposes any void that needs to be filled. These are all very universal occurrences among everyone. I feel like that’s why this intimate evening was so powerful and necessary. It was a moment to show people that Ella was a real person who created an album with real emotions based on real circumstances. She is really staying true to the thesis of Pure Heroine on Melodrama. She isn’t singing about all of the money she acquired or how much fame she has. She is singing about issues that me, some random kid who works at a pizza shop in Connecticut, can identify with. Issues that everyone can identify with.

After we finished the album, she asked if anyone had any questions. A girl asked if she could sing something to hear her voice. Ella asked for any requests and I immediately yelled out “buzzcut season.” She then questioned what key the song was in and then NAILED IT. I began tearing up because I thought I’d never hear buzzcut season live due to the fear that the Melodrama release would lead to exclusively performing those songs. After this, she said that we can all unlock our phones and take pictures. We huddled at the door where the security guard would unlock our phone and escort us 1 by 1 into a room for a personal conversation with Ella / a photo shoot. I would see others smiling from ear to ear as they were taken into the room. Personally, I was trying to remain calm because, after all, she is just a normal person like everyone else. But then when it was my turn, my heart started racing. I went in and introduced myself and we hugged. I then told her a VERY abridged version of the story I just wrote about (btw you’re a real one if you’re reading this far). She then hugged me again and told me everything is going to be alright. We took pictures, and then I was escorted out of the venue to the sidewalk I started at. I just walked and stood by a brick facade for a second and looked at the lyric card she gave me. I then began crying for the first time in months, it was all too real. I just couldn’t believe that happened. I then met up with my friend and we went back to his apartment where I played a quick supercut of the night and drifted asleep.  

More detailed information on the night was supplied by The Modern Girls, the writer did an amazing job at capturing the essence of the event. The report can be found here:

https://themoderngirls.co/2017/06/15/this-was-melodrama-an-evening-with-lorde/

fast forward because this story is getting mad long

june 16, 2017 - 12:00 am melodrama release date

It was released in that very instant. It was here. I drove to the convenience store down the street with my friend, Tyler Woods, and we each got red bulls and drove around for hours. This is a back road kind of album. The roads that have potholes and loose rubble and cars to dodge on the side of the road. A kind of album that soundtracks the world as you drive through suburbia during the night time while catching glimpses of lamps illuminating window frames. A kind of album that glistens in the moonlight. The bumps rocks pounded into the asphalt of the street worked in sequence with loveless’ booming 808s and the freshly paved asphalt glided to the buttery synths of homemade dynamite. A tank of gas and three listens later, we decided to go back to his house because we had to wake up early the next day for work.  (btw, I listened to the album on a pair of Audio Technica ATH m50x’s and the details are revolutionary).

june 16, 2017 - 2:00 pm 

Around time to get ready for work again at 4:00 when I checked twitter and saw a tweet that said, 

“got a couple passes to give away to the show i'm putting on at bowery ballroom with @SIRIUSXM tonight– 18+ tell me why u wanna be there” - @lorde 

I immediately responded again, requesting to give a pass to Mike Jarmon because he gave me the pass for Tuesday. Sure enough, got the tweet back that confirms we both were on the list. Ecstatically, I called out work again. It’s a miracle that I didn’t lose my job.. I ended up driving down to Mike’s house and then progressing towards the city. At this point, I have been driving around nearly all week which led to a series of dunkin’ donuts cups, jackets, hats, red bull cans, subway sandwich bags, pairs of various colors of cortezs, pillows, drum machines, and skateboards littered throughout my backseat. True vagabond. Anyways, we cross over the G.W. Bridge (again) and then cruise throughout the streets of the Bowery while blasting homemade dynamite with the windows down. Hyped. We parked the car at yet again another insanely expensive garage a few blocks away from the Bowery Ballroom (still worth it). We walked over to outside of the venue and received the guest passes and proceeded inside. The venue was way more intimate than I anticipated (I’ve never been to a concert in the city). We all just waited there looking at the massive mural of the album cover. Eventually, the band walked out and took their place. Then Lorde followed. The crowd roared as she began to sing the beginning bars of homemade dynamite. Then she did buzzcut season, shitttt it was amazing. Eventually, she progressed throughout the playlist. She playing hits after hits after hits. She was feeling all the beats during the drum breaks and hitting every single note with such precision that it led me to questioning whether or not she was actually singing. It was divine. The unique flairs that she added to the songs were charismatic and bold. Gorgeous is all I can say about the performance. The set ended with Green Light. Everyone in the crowd was belting out the lyrics and dancing and enjoying themselves. It was surreal. Then she thanked the crowd for everything and left the stage. We waited for the possibility of an encore. Sure enough, there was one; however, I was confused as to why the band took their instruments off the stage if there was going to be an encore. She just stood by the microphone and quieted the crowd until the space was completely silent. There was a powerful moment of complete silence before she started singing. Then as she began singing. She then stepped away from the microphone and continued singing. Ella was here. It was like she was singing in the living room of her house to her closest friends and family. The passion. The power. She was a superstar that wasn’t afraid to get personal and intimate with the audience. In that very instant, she broke down the barrier between being a real person and an international superstar. We weren’t hearing her voice through a speaker system; we were hearing her voice in the rawest form possible. There is something so metaphysically beautiful about that moment that I will never forget. We waited around the ballroom for a bit before being kicked to the sidewalk by security. After about a half hour of waiting, Ella began walking out of the venue. She immediately recognized a fan of hers after not seeing her for 3 years. It was like old friends rekindling their friendship as Ella hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She progressed her way down the group making sure to speak with each person individually. She then got to us, we hugged and I introduced her to Mike. He ecstatically shook her hand. She kindly recorded a video of her shouting out Mike’s girlfriend who couldn’t make it to the show because of a family emergency. She then took a picture with him and then made her way to the next eager face. We walked back to the car in awe of how real and beautiful that moment was. Nothing can top it. The whole night was perfect. 

Reflection

June 19, 2017 12:11 pm

Now it’s Monday of the next week. This was the story of how Melodrama made all of my dreams come true. If you came this far, I appreciate you for taking the time out of your day to read me wilding out through thousands of words. This story has made a really strong impact on my life and I will continue to hold it with me throughout any troubles life throws my way. A bit of information that I left out of at the beginning is that I was increasingly suicidal at the turn of the year due to the dwindling relationship I had with Carly, the stress of beginning a new semester, anxiety, and an overall dissatisfaction with my life as a whole. Growing up, I always had dreams of being something. I was always drawing on t-shirts and giving them to my friends or painting pictures for my family members on Christmas or making rap music out of my room with guitar hero microphones on free music software.  When I was applying for college, I supplemented my parent’s vicarious dream of me being a pharmacist with persuing architecture. I loved looking at houses, I loved drawing houses: architecture was for me. However, when I reflected on 2016, I never actually achieved anything I wanted to do. I was hardly even drawing, I wasn’t making much music, and I was just overall unhappy with my life. I was always in need of hanging out with people and couldn’t stand being alone. I used social media as a gauge for self satisfaction (which was quite stupid). If I said something and it didn’t get retweets, then it must be meaningless. I eventually ended up deleting all my tweets and not using twitter at all after that. I hate how that’s how I’ve become hardwired as I’ve become dependent on social media. After Carly and I broke up in February, I had to have a long talk with Bryce about where my life was going. Where was my perfect place. It was eventually established by Bryce that the goal of meeting Lorde was impossible and that I should probably set a smaller and more achievable goal. But then it happened. Then it happened. I still question where was my place in this world. Shit, to this day, I don’t even know. BUT, I’m not scared of searching anymore. I’m not scared of a few bad days because of the sheer faith that anything can happen at any given moment; for better or for worse. I thrive off of the fact that life is always growing, there’s billions of people to talk to, there’s countless flowers to smell, and miles of roads to drive. There’s no amount of twitter followers or retweets or instagram likes that can separate me from the next person. This past week has taught me that nothing is impossible. NOTHING. I know it sounds like a cliche, but you have to believe me. Here I am in my 10′ x 10' room that is mainly occupied by speakers from a thrift shop and second hand music equipment, and I have never felt more alive. Thank you, Ella.

"2017 is the year to be a fucking savage”

[shaledirectory]

Natural Gas NOW Picks of the Week – December 1, 2018

Tom Shepstone Shepstone Management Company, Inc.

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Natural Gas NOW readers pass along a lot of stuff every week about natural gas, fractivist antics, emissions, renewables, and other news relating to energy. As usual, emphasis is added.

Andrew Cuomo’s Renewable Fiasco Runs Into Reality

Andrew Cuomo, at the instigation of the NRDC gang, made a foolish pledge a few years ago to make sure 50% of the state’s electricity will come from renewables by 2030. It might have seemed remotely feasible because New York has access to so much hydro-electric power but, as I have said many times, solar and wind projects tend to engender fierce NIMBY opposition. That’s exactly what’s happened, leading to still further foolishness, according to Robert Bryce who offered this in a New York Post article:

he New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released its “offshore-wind master plan.” The agency said it was “charting a course to 2,400 megawatts” of offshore capacity to be installed by 2030. That much capacity (roughly twice as much as now exists in all of Denmark) will require installing hundreds of platforms over more than 300 square miles of ocean in some of the most navigated, and heavily fished, waters on the Eastern Seaboard.

It will also be enormously expensive. According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration, by 2022 producing a megawatt hour of electricity from offshore wind will cost a whopping $145.90.

Offshore wind promoters claim costs are declining. Maybe so. But according to the New York Independent System Operator, the average cost of wholesale electricity in the state last year was $36.56. Thus, Cuomo’s presidential ambitions will require New York consumers to pay roughly four times as much for offshore electricity as they currently pay for juice from conventional generators.

Why is the governor pushing so hard for offshore wind? The answer’s simple: The rural backlash against Big Wind is growing daily.

Just a few hours after NYSERDA released its plan, the Somerset town board unanimously banned industrial wind turbines. The town (population: 2,700) is actively opposing the proposed 200-megawatt Lighthouse Wind project, which, if built, would be one of the largest onshore-wind facilities in the Northeast…

Numerous other small communities are fighting the encroachment of Big Wind. In the Thousand Islands region, towns like Cape Vincent and Clayton have been fending off wind projects for years. Last May, the town of Clayton approved an amendment to its zoning ordinance that bans all commercial wind projects.

Last September, the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization announced its opposition to eight proposed onshore-wind projects due to the deleterious effect those projects could have on radar systems and military aviation…

The onshore backlash has left Cuomo with no choice but to move his renewable-energy obsession offshore… but plenty of fishermen… are none too happy at the prospect of having hundreds of offshore platforms obstruct their fishing.

To protect their interests, fishermen and fishmongers from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have filed a federal lawsuit to block an offshore wind lease won by Norwegian oil company Statoil ASA, at the site of one of the best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard. That lawsuit is still pending.

In short, Cuomo’s push for offshore wind shows how desperate he is to show his pals at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club how much he loves renewable energy. Never mind that New York’s electricity prices are already 40 percent higher than the US average or that his offshore scheme will send those rates even higher.

Bryce gets it right. This is nonsense—very expensive nonsense—promoted by those with special interest agendas who don’t give a damn about the impacts on other New Yorkers.

And, Cuomo and the NRDC Gang Are Selling Out the Adirondacks for the Agenda

If you thought Robert Bryce was overstating the opposition to Cuomo’s solar and wind plans or that the NRDC gang is all about protecting the Adirondacks, check out this letter to the editor in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise (excerpts):

Are you aware the Adirondack Park Agency has quietly made a move toward embracing industrial wind and solar development inside the Blue Line in its Nov. 9 “Policy on Renewable Energy Production and Energy Supply Guidance” document? We believe the impact of this decision would scar the Adirondacks forever…

Click image for the reality

Learn what Gov. Cuomo’s “50 by 30” plan really means for the North Country and the Adirondacks…

Urge your local government to adopt a moratorium on wind and solar development to allow them time to research and create laws that will protect you from many negative health, environmental and economic impacts…

For more information visit nnywind.com or Facebook.com/CitizensForRuralPreservation.

And, you thought the NRDC gang just wanted save the wilderness.

Perry to New York: It’s Pipelines or Russia

S&P Global Platts reports that US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry spoke to the Consumer Energy Alliance this week and sent another strong message to FERC, New York and states who would deny energy to New England and make it dependent on Russian LNG:

When Perry spoke at a House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing in May, he questioned whether “states have the right to block a pipeline across their state that will have a national security implication or an economic implication on individuals.”

On Thursday, Perry was asked to weigh in on New England’s infrastructure constraints. “Why in the world today, with America being the number one oil and gas producing country in the world, would Boston and the Northeast have to have to rely upon gas from Russia? I don’t get that,” he said.

He was likely referring to the offloading of a tanker originating from Russia’s Yamal plant during a cold snap last winter to replenish stocks at the Distrigas LNG terminal in Boston. New England leans on imported LNG to supply power plants during cold weather when the region’s gas pipeline capacity is dedicated to home heating…

The ship that brought Russian LNG to Boston

Perry said politics in New York make it very difficult for US-produced gas to travel across the state. On a recent trip to Ukraine, Perry talked up US LNG as an alternative to Russian gas, “because the Russians are not necessarily reliable,” he said, spurring chuckles from the audience.“I would suggest that those that are making decisions in the United States that think somehow or another Russian gas is more reliable than US-produced gas, they might want to think about that,” he saidTwo major projects have been blocked by New York — Williams’ 121-mile, 650 MMcf/d Constitution Pipeline (CP13-499), and National Fuel Gas Supply and Empire Pipeline ‘s 97-mile, 497 MMcf/d Northern Access 2016 project (CP15-115). Both were denied water quality certifications. But FERC recently waived New York’s Clean Water Act Section 401 review for Northern Access on the grounds that state regulators took too long to act.

Right on, Rick!

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The post Natural Gas NOW Picks of the Week – December 1, 2018 appeared first on Natural Gas Now.

https://www.shaledirectories.com/blog/natural-gas-now-picks-of-the-week-december-1-2018/

[theconservativebrief]

Bad political ads are everywhere. You know the ones — footage of a candidate walking down a quaint Main Street, touring a construction site wearing a hard hat, or shaking hands at a senior center while a disembodied narrator intones their life accomplishments.

Those ads make veteran political filmmaker Mark Putnam’s eyes glaze over.

“Without singling out any particular — I don’t need to — there are so many like that,” Putnam told me in a recent interview.

So as Democrats and Republicans duke it out in the home stretch to the November midterms, campaigns, political parties, and PACs are getting creative on how they’re getting their message to voters. Television networks are full of short, 30-second advertisements either introducing candidates to voters or hitting the opposing candidates on their records.

From partnering with comedy writers to convincing Academy Award-nominated director Richard Linklater to direct an ad, to hiring someone to portray Bigfoot on the hunt for a reclusive congressman, political ads in 2018 appear to be trying to be eye-catching and are straying away from the norm.

Some feel more like a comedy skit than a campaign ad, including a spot from Dean Phillips, the Democrat running in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, deploying Bigfoot to search for his reclusive Republican opponent Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN).

[embedded content]

Others feel like a horror film. Republican candidates, in sharp contrast to Democrats, have been playing on fear and identity politics in many of their ads. In some cases in districts with Democratic nominees who are people of color, Republicans have resorted to tying candidates to terrorism or juxtaposing a black Democratic candidate’s old raps with his current campaign speeches to argue he can’t represent a majority white district.

No matter the political party, the goal of these 30-second ads is to get voters to glance up at the TV screen — and keep watching.

“I’ve always believed you have to make advertising that grabs people’s attention in the first 5 seconds,” Putnam said. “If you create compelling content, they will watch, no matter what the platform. You really have to bust through with something that catches people’s attention.”

Two clear themes emerge if you spend enough time watching campaign ads by Democrats juxtaposed with ones made by Republicans: Democrats are going for humor, and Republicans are leaning into fear.

Democrats are hitting Republicans on issues like their failed attempt to kill the Affordable Care Act and the sweeping tax cuts they passed last year. But especially on issues that can be granular and difficult to message around (like tax cuts), Democrats have turned to comedy writers to help work on the concept.

One ad released by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) portrays what appears to be a corporate board gloating about how “we got, like, the entire Republican tax cut.” The ad features a CEO asking an employee on all fours posing as a side table how much he got from his tax cut (the answer, not much).

[embedded content]

The DCCC teamed up with comedy writer and producer Ben Wexler, a veteran of shows like Community and Arrested Development, to produce and direct the ad.

Democrats haven’t been short on star power in the midterms: Academy Award-nominated director Richard Linklater (who is from Texas) signed up to direct a short ad paid for by FTC PAC, basically accusing Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for being a wuss (in other choice Texas terminology) for not standing up to President Donald Trump after the president insulted Cruz’s wife and implied his father was involved in John F. Kennedy’s assassination during the 2016 election.

[embedded content]

And in Florida’s extremely expensive Senate race, Sen. Bill Nelson’s campaign paid for a cartoon ad about a law impacting Florida’s public beaches, and portraying Republican Rick Scott as a giggling, clownish politician stealing beach access from everyday Floridians to give it to the rich.

[embedded content]

Republicans, on the other hand, are attempting to play off the politics of fear — something they’ve been doing for months. As Vox’s Dylan Scott wrote of Republican ads back in August:

If you were to distill the prevailing Republican campaign message for the 2018 midterm elections to one image, it would be this: a hooded figure in the shadows, machete (or knife or bladed fingers) in hand, waiting to pounce if the wrong candidate wins.

Life is a horror movie and it’s Democrats behind the hockey mask. Vote Republican.

And in 2018, Republican attack ads have suggested that Democrats would make Americans less safe — at times using race explicitly to do so.

In one California district, embattled Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter ran an ad against Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, highlighting the fact that Campa-Najjar’s grandfather was part of a Palestinian terror group. (Campa-Najjar’s grandfather died before he was born, and the Democrat has heavily distanced himself, saying he shares nothing but “lineage” with his grandfather.)

Still, Hunter’s ad accused Campa-Najjir of “trying to infiltrate Congress,” and wrote he was a “security risk.”

[embedded content]

In New York’s 19th Congressional District, the National Republican Campaign Committee ran old snippets of explicit raps Democrat Antonio Delgado made years ago under the name “AD the Voice,” alongside Delgado giving a campaign speech in the present day. Delgado, who is also a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford University, is running to represent an overwhelmingly white district.

[embedded content]

As Vox’s PR Lockhart wrote:

The criticism largely hinges on perceptions and stereotypes of rap music, particularly those that define rap music and black culture as not being representative of mainstream America. And for a black prospective Congress member for a majority-white district, the focus on his rap lyrics puts his “otherness” in stark contrast with the lives and experiences of local voters.

There are a few Republican ads trying more for humor, though, such as this ad from Ron DeSantis, the Republican running for governor of Florida. DeSantis — a Republican molding himself after Trump — “builds a wall” out of building blocks with his young daughter and reads Trump’s book The Art of the Deal to his infant son.

[embedded content]

The 2018 midterms are shaping up to be the most expensive midterms election season in history. By late July, candidates, PACs, and outside groups had raised more than $1.6 billion (and spent most of that) — which was more raised and spent on Senate and House races in the 2015-2016 cycle, and far more than the last midterms cycle in 2013-2014. And that was just by July.

According to data from Kantar Media, Florida is by far the most expensive Senate race when it comes to TV spending, followed by Nevada, Missouri, and Indiana.

Top 10 U.S. Senate races by TV ad spending: 1. Florida: $94 million 2. Nevada: $72.5 M 3. Missouri: $66.9 M 4. Indiana: $61.2 M 5. Tennessee: $40.8 M 6. Arizona: $40.7 M 7. West Virginia: $31.6 M 8. North Dakota: $23.1 M 9. Montana: $23 M 10 Ohio: $13.2 M (via @Kantar_Media data)

— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) October 10, 2018

When you look at what it costs to produce a single ad, these numbers start to make more sense. A well-done ad can cost up to $40,000 to produce, according to Putnam.

“It costs money to do them well,” he said. “The campaign just has to decide it’s worth the investment.”

Earlier in the midterm cycle, Putnam noticed a trend of candidates including Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath, Wisconsin Democrat Randy Bryce (also known as “IronStache”), and Texas Democrat MJ Hegar using longer YouTube ads to introduce themselves to voters and donors alike, and essentially launching their campaigns that way. But even with the proliferation of these videos on YouTube and social media, television is still the main way candidates can reach voters from now until November 6.

“You can put it on more screens,” he said, adding cable “is still by far the most efficient way of reaching voters.”

Original Source -> Democrats are going for laughs in their midterms ads. Republicans are going for fear.

via The Conservative Brief

[themanguidemg]

Over A Dozen New Netflix Trailers In One Spot

Netflix has been busy the past year! The streaming giant it’s set to embark on it’s most ambitious year yet with a ton of original series, movies, and comedy specials. As of last year, Netflix had 30 original series and they had announced their intent to double that in 2017. This past week  they’ve released over a dozen trailers back-to-back of different series and movies set to release later this year. Some of these star Hollywood A-listers such as Brad Pitt, Will Smith and Henry Cavill.  This doesn’t include previously announced fan favorites like Marvel’s Iron Fist and the second season of Stranger Things.

If you haven’t kept up with their constant bombardment of teasers and trailers, we’ve grouped them all for you here. Check them all below.

Burning Sands – March 10

Burning Sands takes you on a raw, voyeuristic journey of fraternity pledging through the eyes of one favored pledgee, who is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Led by a breakthrough performance by Trevor Jackson, director Gerard McMurray’s feature directorial debut brings an emotional honesty to the classic tale of “rites of passage” and the complicated bonds of brotherhood.

Burning Sands, which also stars Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton and Moonlight’s Trevante Rhodes, was written by Christine Berg and Gerard McMurray and produced by Stephanie Allain, Jason Michael Berman, Reginald Hudlin and Mel Jones. Executive produced by Caroline Connor and Common.

  Dave Chappelle: Two Specials, One Event – March 21

He’s back. And with plenty on his mind. Dave Chappelle returns with two stand-up specials from his personal comedy vault on March 21, only on Netflix.

  Amy Schumer: The Leather Special – March 7

It’s a rule: Every comedian’s got to do a leather special. Emmy® and Peabody Award-winner Amy Schumer continues the tradition with jokes about having good vagina days, seeing your nude photo go viral, and more.

  Ingobernable – March 24

Diego Nava and Emilia Urquiza Mexico’s presidential couple had many plans, but social and political pressure makes Diego compromise his ideals. Emilia a strong woman with convictions losses faith in her husband and leaves him, not knowing how much the future of Mexico will change after. Season 1 comes to Netflix March 24rd.

  13 Reasons Why – March 31

Why would a dead girl lie? 13 Reasons Why premieres March 31 only on Netflix.

  The Discovery – March 31

One year after the existence of the afterlife is scientifically verified, millions around the world have ended their own lives in order to “get there”. A man and woman fall in love while coming to terms with their own tragic pasts and the true nature of the afterlife.

  Five Came Back – March 31

Five directors went to World War II to tell the truth, and changed film-making forever. Five Came Back.

Sand Castle – April 21

Set during the occupation of Iraq, a squad of U.S. soldiers try to protect a small village.

War Machine –  May 26

An absurdist war story for our times, writer-director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) recreates a U.S. General’s roller-coaster rise and fall as part reality, part savage parody – raising the specter of just where the line between them lies today. His is an exploration of a born leader’s ultra-confident march right into the dark heart of folly. At the story’s core is Brad Pitt’s sly take on a successful, charismatic four-star general who leapt in like a rock star to command NATO forces in Afghanistan, only to be taken down by a journalist’s no-holds-barred exposé.

The Netflix original film is inspired by the book The Operators: The Wild & Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan by the late journalist Michael Hastings. Joining Pitt in War Machine is a highly decorated cast including Tilda Swinton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Anthony Michael Hall, Topher Grace, Will Poulter, Lakeith Stanfield, Emory Cohen, John Magaro, RJ Cyler, Alan Ruck, Scoot McNairy and Meg Tilly. Ian Bryce and Plan B’s Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt serve as producers. James Skotchdopole serves as executive producer.

  OKJA – June 28

From visionary Director Bong Joon Ho, this grand global adventure follows a friendship too big to ignore. Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named Okja. Following her across continents, the coming-of-age comedy drama sees Mija’s horizons expand in a way one never would want for one’s children, coming up against the harsh realities of genetically modified food experimentation, globalization, eco-terrorism, and humanity’s obsession with image, brand and self-promotion.

  Mindhunter – October

Mindhunter is an American television drama series based on the book Mind Hunter: Inside FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit written by Mark Olshaker and John E. Douglas.

The series will be set in 1979 and will revolve around two FBI agents, played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany, who interview imprisoned serial killers to try to solve ongoing cases.

  Bright – December

Set in an alternate present-day where humans, orcs, elves, and fairies have been co-existing since the beginning of time. Bright is genre-bending action movie that follows two cops from very different backgrounds. Ward (Will Smith) and Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), embark on a routine patrol night and encounter a darkness that will ultimately alter the future and their world as they know it.

Bright is available only on Netflix this December. Bright is directed by David Ayer (Training Day, End of Watch, Suicide Squad) stars Will Smith (Men in Black), Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby), Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Lucy Fry (11.22.63), Edgar Ramirez (Hands of Stone, Zero Dark Thirty), Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva), and Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad). The movie is written by Max Landis (Chronicle) and produced by Ayer, Eric Newman (Narcos) and Bryan Unkeless (The Hunger Games).

  Dark – Winter 2017

A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers. Their search for a culprit unearths a small town’s sins and secrets.

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