#c: raquel

[jgthirlwell]

06.30.24 20th annual performance in Terry Riley's In C, performed by NYC In C.

Brian Chase - drums, Billy Martin - drums, Aba Diopsabar -percussion, Zach Layton - 17-string bass (electric), Luke Stewart - upright bass, Henry Fraser -electric bass, Ava Mendoza - guitar, Elliott Sharp - guitar, David Grubbs - guitar, Bobby Previte -percussion, Nava Dunkelman - vibraphone, Shayna Dunkelman - vibraphone, Levy Lorenzo -marimba, Matt Evans - marimba, Ursula Oppens - Steinway piano L, Adam Tendler - Steinway piano R, Qasim Naqvi - synth, Ben Vida - synth, Miya Masaoka - koto, Zeena Parkins - harp. Neel Murgai- sitar, Erica Dicker - violin. gabby fluke mogul - violin, Laura Ortman - violin, Joanna Mattrey - viola, Jessica Pavone - viola. Cleek Schrey - viola. Alex Waterman - cello. Andrew Yee - cello. Lester St. Louis - cello. Kaoru Watanabe - shinobue flute, Laura Cocks - flute, Katie Porter - clarinet, Peter Hess - bass clarinet Matana Roberts - soprano saxophone, Lea Bertucci - alto saxophone, James Fei - alto saxophone, Zoh Ambatenor - saxophone, Peter Gordon - bari saxophone, Katherine Young - bassoon, Kyra Sims - french horn, Nate Wooley - trumpet, Ben Neill - trumpet, Chris Williams - trumpet, Peter Zummo - trombone, Chris McIntyre - trombone, Marcus Rojas- tuba, Joan La Barbara - voice. Gelsey Bell - voice, Nick Hallett - voice, Tariq El Sabir - voice, Raquel Acevdeo Klein - voice, Isabel Crespo Pardo - voice, Angelica Negron -accordion

[traegics]

Closed Starter - @fragmcntedsouls (Andreas)

She was nervous, understandably so after having left Zera's (relieved to know the spell had in fact worked but terrified of what Andreas's reaction would be once she got to his place. Had he mourned yet, was he angry? Would he even want to see her? She pushed those thoughts back, digits wrapped nervously around the door handle before taking in a deep breath and pushing the door open and stepping over the threshold. "Apsephion," Raquel calls out softly as the door clicks shut behind her, dark irises scanning the home for any sign of the older dragon. "I know you know who I am now. I've just seen Zera. Please let me explain."

[nikkiruncks]

And I can still see it all (In my head)

Back and forth from New York (Sneaking in your bed)

I once believed love would be (Burning red)

But it's golden

Like daylight, like daylight

Daquel - Daylight (Taylor Swift)

[thedeadthree]

🎵 for Karolina!

HI HI ALYSSA I HOPE YOU ARE WELLL !!!! ty ty so much!! i have had her on the brain lately i miss her SOO much :')) <3

send me a ♫ + a character’s name and i will respond with a song that reminds me of them. send a ♫ + a ship and i will do the same.

✧ ― 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐈 -`. dua lipa.

if you're good enough you'll find a way / maybe you could cause a girl to change (her ways) / do you think about it night and day? / maybe you could be the one to make me stay

[strawberryxmagic]

saphira was sitting at a little cafe, drinking her iced coffee and looking through her computer for dance studios. she'd finally gotten settled enough in her job and disgusting but cheap apartment to be able to afford to get into a studio again. she missed actual dancing instead of what she was doing at her place of employment. she let out a frustrated sigh. she was going to have to go visit each studio to get a feel for them. ( @traegics )

[heartbrokens]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ barbie movie inspired names !!

under the cut you'll find feminine names, but work for any muse, that i've gathered from barbie animated movies . i am obsessed with all of these names, and these all give me a princess / ethereal vibe . they are all organized alphabetically. please reblog and like if you found this helpful !!

a — b ♡

adrienne, ariana, anneliese, annika, alexa, ashlyn/ashlynn, aramina, blair, brietta, brooklyn.

c — d ♡

calissa, catania, clara, corinne, courtney, delancy, delia, delphine, edeline, eden, erika/erica.

f — j ♡

fallon, genevieve, hadley, isabella, isla, jacqueline, janessa.

k — l ♡

kara, kathleen, katrina, kayla, keira, lacey, liana, lila, luciana.

m — z ♡

meredith, merliah, odette, sophia, raquelle, rosella, rowena, victoria.

[areislol]

this goes towards my current wip with al haitham so

child al haitham x child reader // cute moments :)

some moments on angst (mentions of his parents seperating, this is just a hc of mine for some angst don't bash me pls) not proofread. short

a/n: this was for funsies, honestly i just needed to write something cute and fluffy after writing an angsty wip, i can't write this all in my current wip hence, this!

when he was reading a book to you

when you were rolling on the ground trying to get his attenton as he read a book

when al haitham was trying his best to console you with awkward pats on the back after having tripped and cried

al haitham's mother making him hold your hand when crossing the street.

when you had a sleep over at his place and fell asleep on his bed, both of your tiny hands just barely touching each other

al haitham trying to stop you from touching a stray cat saying that it was "dirty and mommy said not to touch a cat outside, you can get hurt and even die!!" poor boy was scared for you

you laughing at him as he falls, when he cries and puts the blame on you, you both get time out and somehow you manage to run away, dragging al haitham with you as your mother chases you

building a sand castle with him, it's very sloppy looking but you were proud of it, and so was al haitham. so when a random child that was getting chased by their friends and run over your sandcastle he is furious, swearing to find them when his older and destory their sandcastle as pay back. and when he notices that you're sobbing uncontrollably? he might just even have a talk with them.

al haitham who helps you steal the cookie jar that was ONLY meant to be eaten after dinner, and when your grubby tiny hands reach for it and break it, he takes the blame.

al haitham who lets you put stickers and bows on his face as he reads a book, as long as you aren't in the way of course (he doesn't mind if you do or don't) and refuses to take them off when he needs to shower.

al haitham who is always there to help you get up when you trip and fall, even asking his mother to buy him a small hang bag so he can stuff bandaids in there.

al haitham gets really, seriously mad when someone picks on you for being "too loud" or "running around too much", he doesn't outright say anything but the glares...? even for a young child like him, whew.

he's always with you, before school, during school, after school and even during the holidays! (no wonder you're so close) and he doesn't mind, his mother is always tearing up as she watches her son watch you hold the crayon whole and scribble on a paper, and when you invite him to draw with you? ack! two cuties trying their best to draw each other.

(turns out to look like human blobs, one with grey hair with green streaks and one with [h/c]!! the eyes are disproportional but what can you expect from 5/6 year olds..)

al haitham who stays silent and listens as you yell at him out of anger when he accidentally loses a doll you gave him, he's clearly upset that you're mad at him but now he's mad at you, why are you yelling at him he did nothing wrong!!

this results in you ignoring him (it was a pain) and of course, al haitham hates it when you ignore him. so as usual, he asks his mother to give you a bag full of your favourite candies. you forgive him in less than a minute.

al haitham doesn't own much toys and likes books, any book. even if he can't read them he finds the pictures interesting. so he's more than elated when he sees that you got him new books on his birthday or even as a surprise gift!!

sometimes you lend him your toys so that you two could play together, you were taught to share of course. you often force him to play barbie dolls with you, not that he minds, it's just... does he really have to put on a girly voice for raquelle?

he swears that he won't ever play this game with you ever again after his friends caught him playing with you. (but secretly he continues to do so after making sure no one is around)

!!! playing family!!! you're always the mother who works hard by playing soccer and earning no money whatsoever while al haitham is the father who stays home and reads books. for some odd reason he feels this tingly feeling in his heart when he plays this game with you. what if one day when you're both older and live together with 5 exotic cats and wolves? what a dream.

al haitham who recieves a paper from his teacher that states "what is your dream?" for a class activity and immediately you pop up in his mind. his dream... is to make you happy. other than reading all the books in the world and making his mama and papa proud!

he gets upset when you aren't here with him for a day or more, say, you're on a holiday in another country or state, boy is he gonna be pestering and begging his mother to see you!! please, he needs to go there right now!!! (ever heard of face time?)

later in the years al haitham's always embarrassed when his mother brings that up, saying that it's "not true" but then completely freezes when his mother takes out her phone, saying "oh no worries, i have a video recording!!" and turns to face you, smiling. the way the colors drain from his face.

who is afraid to lose you after his mother came into his room and sat by the edge of his bed, her hand caressing his soft hair. "my dear boy," she would say softly, her gaze so soft and gentle.

"is it okay it mama comes in?" al haitham nods his head, how could he ever deny his mother's request?

"thank you baby, now, mama has something to say. don't be too scared now, okay?" al haitham nods, continung to lie down on his best tucked in nicely.

"people come and go, al, you will understand one day but... sigh, mommy and daddy have to tell you something."

ever since then he's sure to do whatever it takes to make you happy, he doesn't want you to leave him, ever. not like you would ever!!

[inkskinned]

hey it's nanowrimo. i have tips bc i've done it about 34 times.

Don't edit. Ever. Stop it. If you just decide to start a new project half thru this one with all new characters, no problem. pick up and keep writing as if you'd already written the first half of that.

"but i spelled it wrong" whatever. "but the grammar" whatever. make it exist first. no time for sense. think like you're working on a typewriter. no backspace. only forward go.

Don't re-read further than a paragraph or two backwards. "did i mention the gun before?" listen - it doesn't matter. if you need there to be a gun there, the gun is there. put it back in once you finish the book.

"i forgot the specifics of X thing i already wrote" whatever. change it, make a note/comment to figure it out later, and just write what makes sense for the moment. "no raquel it's legit the characters name and origin" idc that character is now reborn as Claudius from Elsewhere. it's fine.

only you see your mistakes. nobody else knows. one of the ways writing and dance overlap - only you know the choreography. nobody else will know if you miss a step, so just keep dancing and pretend you meant to do it like that.

it's an illusion that you need to write linearly - from point A to point B to point C. Nah; that's just timeline propaganda. I've written a LOT of books out of order and just reordered them once i've finished. if you have a scene you'd LOVE to write but can't get there yet because of plot, just fuckin write the scene. I've always found its easier to establish "point F" "point J" and "Point A" and then wiggle my way between those scenes.

write what you WANT to write. 230 pages of smut? of well-researched discussion on bread? whatever. the point is to strengthen muscles however you can.

if you miss a day, a week, whatever. not the end of the world. we all have dry days. also time is a myth so u can do this challenge whenever u want.

as soon as you try to write for a specific audience, you kill your voice. you are writing for yourself. stop thinking about how people will take ur book. it don't matter. what matter is u, enjoying writing. i luv u.

play to your strengths. i have characters talk so much because i don't know how to write a plot if it kills me but i'm really good at dialogue so.

i love a flight of fancy. write a poem in there. shift tactics and write in code. keep it fun for yourself.

see what happens if you shift something major about ur main characters - gender, wealth, superpowers. or if you change point-of-view. or if you kill everyone in a big explosion. do NOT edit anything before this or after it. often these little weird one-off exercises teach me what interests me about what i'm working on. it is never what i thought. plus it is a fun way to add like 1k words.

stretch.

it's for fun and for practice. stop doing that project if it's giving you anxiety. once my nano was literally 50k words of half-started stories. just things i tried and tried and tried and wasn't able to flesh out. oops. but i am now 50k words of a better writer.

add dragons?

read books/listen to books on tape/etc. people often make the mistake of "buckling down" to just write. you need inspiration. you need to like. fill up on words. you need to remember how it feels to lose yourself in a story.

i don't have the time or space to really talk about this in this post but a lot of creative people turn to drugs/alcohol because it can help you be more creative. this is harmful, and walking a blade that only cuts deep. if you notice you and your loved ones are turning more to substances, please know i love you and i hope you are able to get help soon. i feel like this almost never gets mentioned because it's kind of a hazy underbelly to art. you are always more important than the work.

on that note. drink your fukin. water.

don't talk about a story until you've finished it. once you tell the story, it exists already, and isn't about discovery. i usually have a very canned "haha we'll see" response.

grapes :) tasty snack.

i love you be free.

[hotmusketeerspoll]

Here stand the current entrants for the Magnificent Musketeer Tournament - updated

Submissions are still open, so if one of your favourite characters isn't here yet, make sure you send them in.

Also, if there's a character already here that you have strong feelings about, you can submit them yourself!

Quite a few characters have no text propaganda or photos, here's a list of those that need some help.

On to the list!

All contestants are listed chronologically, from oldest to newest

D’Artagnan

Douglas Fairbanks

Max Linder (Dart-In-Again)

Gene Kelly

Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jean-Pierre Cassel

Jeremy Brett

Michael York

Jean Valmont

Chris O’Donnell

Gabriel Byrne

Hugh Dancy

Logan Lerman

Luke Pasqualino

Tamaki Ryou

Malachi Pullar-Latchman

François Civil

Athos

Oliver Reed

Keifer Sutherland

John Malkovich

Matthew Macfadyen

Tom Burke

Uzuki Hayate

Vincent Cassel

Aramis

Richard Chamberlain

Igor Starygin

Charlie Sheen

Jeremy Irons

Luke Evans

Santiago Cabrera

Miya Rurika

Romain Duris

Porthos

Brian Blessed

Frank Finlay

Oliver Platt

Gerard Depardieu

Ray Stevenson

Howard Charles 

Pio Marmaï

Milady

Lana Turner

Faye Dunaway

Margarita Terekhova

Rebecca de Mornay

Milla Jovovich

Maimie McCoy

Mollie Hindle

Preeya Kalidas

Eva Green

Constance

Marguerite de la Motte

June Allyson

Raquel Welch

Julie Delpy

Gabriella Wilde

Tamla Kari

Lyna Khoudri

Richelieu

Nigel de Brulier

Vincent Price

Charlton Heston

Bernard Haller

Aleksandr Trofimov

Tim Curry

Christoph Waltz

Peter Capaldi

Rochefort

Guy Delorme

Christopher Lee

Boris Klyuev

Michael Wincott

Mads Mikkelsen

Marc Warren

Anne of Austria

Angela Lansbury

Geraldine Chaplin

Catherine Jourdan

Gabrielle Anwar

Anne Paurillard

Sheena Easton

Juno Temple

Alexandra Dowling

Vicky Krieps

King Louis XIII

Hugh O’Conor

Ryan Gage

Louis Garrel

Treville

Hugo Speer

Marc Barbé

Duke of Buckingham

Simon Ward

Orlando Bloom

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd

Planchet

Roy Kinnear

James Corden

Grimaud

William Phillips

Matthew McNulty

Jussac

Ángel del Pozo

Felton

Michael Gothard

Madame Chevreuse

Sophie Craig

Madame Coquenard

Jennifer Matter

Louis XIV

Louis Hayward

Richard Chamberlain

Leonardo DiCaprio

Robert Sheehan

Phillppe

Louis Hayward

Richard Chamberlain

Leonardo DiCaprio

Maria Theresa

Joan Bennett

Vivien Merchant

Kristina Krepela

Cardinal Mazarin

Gigi Proietti

Gerard Depardieu

Michael Ironside

Raoul

C. Thomas Howell

Peter Sarsgaard

Lousie de la Valliere

Jenny Agutter

Mordaunt

Michael Gothard

Kim Cattrall (Justine de Winter)

[south-of-heaven]

Masterlist

Requests are closed

Rules

NSFW HC's

A

AJ Styles

Asuka

Andrade

Alexa Bliss

A to Z - Aleister & Zelina

B

Bayley

Brollins

Becky Lynch

BRE

Bianca Belair

Brandi Rhodes

Brody - Brandi & Cody

Baylor - Bayley & Finn

Browsey - Ronda & Travis

Brie Bella

Beth Phoenix

Brody King

C

Cody Rhodes

Charlotte Flair

Chyna

Cheddie - Chyna & Eddie

Carmella

Candice LeRae

Claudio Castagnoli/Cesaro

Chandrade - Charlotte & Andrade

Cathy Kelley

D

Damian Priest

Damage CTRL

Dakota Kai

Drew McIntyre

Dominik Mysterio

Dexter Lumis

E

Edge

Eddie Guerrero

F

Four Horsewomen - WWE Four Horsewomen - UFC

Finn Balor

G

Glowish - Naomi & Jimmy

H

House of Black

I

Iyo Sky

Indi Hartwell

InDex - Indi & Dexter

J

Judgement Day

Jessamyn Duke

Jon Moxley

Jey Uso

Jimmy Uso

Jade Cargill

Julia Hart

Jeff Hardy

K

Karl Anderson

Kairi Sane

Karrion Kross

L

Lita

Lyra Valkyria

Liv Morgan (No longer writing for)

Liv 4 Brutality - Liv & Rhea

M

Mia Yim

Marina Shafir

Moriguez - Liv & Raquel

Malakai/Aleister Black

Moxuette - Jon & Renee

N

Natalya Neidhart

Nikki Bella

Naomi

O

P

Phoenix-Edge - Beth & Edge

Q

Queen of Harts - Shayna & Nattie

R

Rhea Ripley

Rhuddy - Rhea & Buddy

Ronda Rousey

Renee Paquette

Ruby Riott/Soho

Roman Reigns

Ronattie - Ronda & Nattie

RnR - Rhea & Raquel

Raquel Rodriguez

S

Shayna Baszler

Starkszler - Shayna & Zoey

Sheamus

Stephanie McMahon

Sonya Deville

Seth Rollins Masterlist

Scarlett Bordeaux

Shawn Michaels (not currently writing for)

Scarrion - Scarlett & Karrion

Saraya Knight

Sasha Banks

T

Triple H

The Big Three - Jade, Bianca, & Naomi

Trish Stratus

Team Bestie - Lita & Trish

The Rated R Couple - Lita & Edge

Troey - Trish & Zoey

Toni Storm

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Zelina Vega

Zekota - Zelina & Dakota

Zoey Stark

[operafantomet]

Hi there! I have a request that might be tricky so feel free to ignore this ask. So I'm extremely fascinated by these certain types of vintage Christine's wedding dress bodices that were used in 1990s atleast in Hamburg and Japan and more recently in Brazil. The bodice was made of "stripy" fabric and the basque/belt was quite wide. I wondered could you make a photoset of those bodices? Thank you!

YES! These bodices are absolutely masterpieces. They are so dramatic, so hourglass shaped, so period looking. So... Bjørnson. I love them to pieces and pretty much screamed of joy when they decided to use them for the principals in the Sao Paulo revival.

Their origin is in very early West End days, as well as the first European productions in Stockholm, Vienna, Scheveningen, Hamburg, Basel etc. As the Japanese production replicated West End at the time, they could also be seen there, and is more or less made in that style today. Here's some:

Ryoko Nomura, Tokyo 1988:

Anna Maria Kaufmann, Hamburg c. 1990:

Elisabeth Berg, Stockholm c. 1990:

Jill Washington, West End c. 1994:

Kyoko Suzuki, Tokyo c. 1992:

Eriko Murata (?), Hiroshima 1992:

Ute Baum, Basel 1995:

Colby Thomas, Hamburg 1998 (which is a bit different in fabric and in basque than the others, but the latest incarnation of the style in Germany before they started doing the current look):

Emma Frost, Copenhagen 2009:

Giulia Nadruz, Sao Paulo 2019:

Raquel Paulin, Sao Paulo 2019:

A detail shot of an old German or Dutch bodices used in Brazil:

And a detail shot of an old Swedish bodice used in Denmark:

Aaaaaaaah, bliss!!!!!!

[traegics]

❛ don’t we deserve to be happy? ❜ ( for Raquel )

Brow perks in her friends direction, soft sigh escaping her lips as she slinks back in her chair and shakes her head. There would've been a time where she'd have agreed, where she'd have believed that happiness could exist and last all in the same lifetime but that had been stripped away from her, her existence wiped from the two people that mattered most to her, her best friend and her husband. In a cruel twist of fate, she had somehow escaped and found herself hundreds of years in the future and while she was grateful for the fact that Zera remembered her, unpleased that it was because she had died, the one person that she wanted to remember her more than anything had lived all this time without a single trace of her existence, her importance in his life and he was nothing like the man she remembered. "The universe doesn't care about what we deserve, Z," Rocky finally mused, gaze pulling away from fellow dragon. "You understand why you can't tell Andreas, right? And please don't be mad at Iggy. I made him promise me, okay? It was my choice and he was the only one that wouldn't fight me on it. Just do this for me, okay? I've never asked you for much but this? Please, Zeraphine."

[constanz-za]

lena c. emery raquel garcia metal magazine

[kafkasapartment]

Globe Photos Raquel Welch Sailing, late 20th C. Archival Paper

[strawberryxmagic]

@traegics - raquel

saphira pushed her food around on the plate as she sat across from raquel on one of their weekly get togethers. she chewed on her lip, contemplating. she'd asked mavi but raquel had more of that mom vibe that saphira had missed for so long. "so you and dreas are like ridiculously in love, right? so how do you know when you even just like someone?" she asked suddenly.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Nightlife 9

Warnings: touching, coercion, manipulation. Proceed with caution.

Note: I know what you’re thinking, why the fuck are you doing this? Well, you wanted bouncer Lee and I did too. Also, short!reader, not sorry.

Part of The Club AU

You can barely look at Lee as shame nips at your wits. Your body is still tingly with the aftermath of what happened. Even an hour later. It replays in your mind, over and over, even as you try not to think about it. You can’t believe you did what you did and you just can’t believe how much you enjoyed it.

He did too. You could tell by the way he twitched. How after he held you against him, reluctant to let you go as his large belly rose and fell slowly beneath you.

The world feels far away until you come in sight of your building. You blink through the window, refusing to look at Lee. Every time you do, you’re reminded of what you’ve done. Worse, that quest splits your head; was it okay? Was it wrong?

“Gimme a kiss, sweetheart,” Lee demands as he puts on the parking brake, “‘fore ya go.”

You look down at your lap then slowly turn your head. He grabs your chin, startling you, and pulls you close. He crushes his mouth to yours sloppily as you squeak. Finally, he parts but his hand remains locked on your jaw.

“I gotta go get some sleep but you go on to class. Don’t forget to pack a bag for tonight, darlin’.”

“Tonight?” You pout.

“Yeah, you’re not gonna leave lil Hickory all alone, are ya?”

You suck in your lip and think. You almost forgot. You feel worse for that. The thought of the kitten being all alone for so long. You can’t do that.

“Oh, yeah,” you gulp, “yeah, I’ll bring a bag.”

“Just give a call when you’re ready. I’ll be awake ‘round three or four,” he explains, his hand brushing down your throat. He lets out a hum as he feels how you swallow nervously. “I’ll pick ya up and all that.”

“Um, okay,” you acquiesce, “yes, sir.”

“Be good,” he winks and gives a firm squeeze to your chest, “don’t think of me too much.”

You look down as he finally retracts his touch. You resist the urge to cover your chest, instead pulling on the handle and letting yourself out of the car. You snatch up your bag and give a tight-lipped smile before spinning away. The door snaps shut in your stead and you scurry away.

It can’t be that bad. Not if he’s acting like that. Not if you enjoyed it so much.

💮

The day draws on. As the hours roll by, you get more and more nervous about what comes next. The quiz for Social Psychology doesn’t seem as intimidating in comparison to Lee. And you don’t think you did too bad.

You go back to the dorm. Raquel isn’t there. She might be at class but more likely she’s with her friends.

You shove some pajamas and a fresh set of clothes in a bag and toss it with your knapsack. You don’t want to call Lee just yet. You need a little bit of time to yourself; without professors or coeds or anyone around.

He messages you first. You swipe up the conversation and are greeted by a picture of Hickory. Beneath him, you see a glimpse of Lee’s chest, covered only by a thin ribbed tank top. The cat is so cute, you don’t really think about the man under him.

‘Cute!’ You text back.

‘Ready to go? Kitty’s waiting.’

He’s straight to the point as always. It’s past five. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. 

‘Sure,’ you reply. You’re not really ready but you don’t think you ever will be.

You grab your bags, knapsack on your shoulder, tote in hand, and you go down to wait on the steps. You play a matching game on your phone as students walk by, to and from their respective abodes.

A toot breaks your attention from a nearby squirrel. It flits away and you look up as Lee’s car putters at the curb. You stand and he gets out. As you come down the walk, he opens the passenger door for you.

“Hey, darlin’,” he grins and bends to kiss you. Taken by surprise, you let him, trying not to care about the passerbys.

“Hi, Lee,” you say breathless as he pulls away.

“God, I love it when you say my name,” he winks, “come on then, let’s get going.”

You get in and he shuts the door. You place your bags on the floor by your feet. You buckle in as he goes around to the driver’s side and gets in. He pulls down the seatbelt and clicks it into place. He clears his throat, searching around as if he’s lost something.

“I went out and got some toys for lil Hick,” he says, “uh…” he reaches behind your seat, “so you can keep him entertained.” He sits up and holds a small black bag, “bought you something to play with too.”

He hands over the bag and you take it in surprise. You feel the shape of a box through the plastic. You chew your lip and glance back at him.

“Oh, thank you,” you smile and clasp it in your hands.

“Ain’t nothing,” he says as he shifts into gear. He steps on the pedal, pulling out onto the street patiently. “Well, you gonna see what’s inside?”

You look down and turn over the bag. It rustles as you examine it and reach inside. You slide it out little by little, the hot pink cardboard a surprise. It’s so bright. You flip it over to read the front;  ‘Three speed bullet vibe.’ Your mouth falls open at the sight of the small vibrator visible through the transparent plastic.

“What… I… Lee, I don’t– I can’t–” You quickly hide the toy.

“Thinking you should explore a little,” he drawls, “since ya said you never done much before. It’s always good to get to know yourself, isn’t it?”

“Well, um, I guess, but… I don’t know.”

“If you need help, I don’t mind, I could show you how it works,” he says, “I only thought you might feel more comfortable figuring it out… then you could show me.”

“Ummmmmm,” your voice floats from you. You’re speechless.

“You’ll be all alone and I hate that I can’t be there with ya, so I only thought you would have lots of time to… you know.”

“It’s very nice of you, Lee, but I think maybe, um, well, I’m okay. I’m fine.”

“Don’t you be lying,” he warns, his timbre gritting, “I felt ya this morning. Shaking like a leaf. You don’t know what you’re feeling. Trust me, it’ll be easier once you know what you like.”

You sniff and squeeze the bag in your hands. You’re burning in horror.

“Er, okay, I’ll… okay.”

He’s quiet as he follows the flow of traffic. He shifts in his seat and clears his throat. He looks over at you quickly and a purr rises from his chest.

“Why don’t you open it up and give it a try now?”

“What?”

“It’s fine, just slip it on out.”

“Lee, maybe… later.”

“Darlin’, I got you a gift, don’t be rude.”

You stare at your hands. They’re shaking. You can’t say no. Not now. He’s bought this for you. He’s come all this way. And it’s just a toy. Just sex, right? Everyone else is having it so it can’t be that bad.

You slowly pull the box out of the bag again. You open the lid and slide out the plastic insert. It crinkles as you pop out the toy, feeling the silicon between your fingers. You clumsily free the battery and examine the toy, twisting the end as you figure out how to load it. You put it back together and hold it in your palm.

“Go on, turn it on,” he rasps.

You grip the toy and press the button with your thumb. You angle your hand over your lap as the vibrations rattle through you.

“Spread your legs wide,” he orders.

You obey.

“Now put it right up against yourself.”

You hold your breath as you do as he says. The toy quakes against you and the sensation makes your whine. The intensity has your legs snapping shut around your hand.

“Now, don’t you stop,” he demands, “not til you cum.”

“Lee,” you babble.

“Hush, sweet thing, I hear it in your voice, feels good, don’t it?”