#probably one of the best ways to start the new year

[willowrites]

𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 ᥫ᭡ 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 & 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬. you couldn’t have just one, could you?

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭. can you pls write something like reader is dating matt but always catches chris staring or vice versa and they go behind matt’s back on the down low — anon

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. smut, threesome, cheating, name calling (slut, pretty girl), sub!reader, dom!matt, dom!chris, oral male/matt!receiving ..

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. finally got a matt & chris req kinda !! im so sorry it took so long, had huge writers block w this one for some reason (i hate all of it) enjoy!!

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭. to be counted.

you had been dating matt for about a year so far and it was amazing. you both knew you had a connection the minute you two met. you were inseparable. being inseparable from him on the other hand also meant being inseparable from his triplet brothers, chris and nick.

you and nick got along like two peas in a pod. he was your best friend. you guys would hang out just you two going to the mall or watching a movie. you were also his model for photography whenever he wanted to try out new photos or take portrait shots.

you and chris though, even though you spent practically every day together — you weren’t that close. you tried to talk to and connect with him like you did with his brothers but he kept the conversations short. however, even though he seemed disinterested, you always caught his lingering stare from across the room. like when you and matt were on the couch watching a movie — hugging and cuddling, his eyes were always on you.

you told yourself, maybe he just wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship. that was until one night while you and matt had been making out and sharing an intimate moment, you caught his stare.

that night you and matt had accidentally left the door unlocked so when he opened it to ask matt a question about his pc he only saw the shocking scene of matt’s fingers buried deep inside you as you were leaning back against the headboard with your hands in his hair.

you probably should’ve yelped and said something to matt, but no, you just sat there being stimulated by matt’s fingers while his brother was staring right at you. as you reached your orgasm you couldn’t hold his eye contact and longer. your eyes started to flutter shut when you felt your impending wave of pleasure hit you like a freight train.

that was a week ago. ever since then, the stares had been frequent and held more tension than you ever noticed. you couldn’t help but take a couple of glances toward him when you could and caught yourself staring at him on multiple accounts.

“you okay?” matt’s spoke up out of the blue. he had caught you staring at chris as he was on his phone, one hand behind his head. he was dressed in a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

you quickly looked toward matt a bit embarrassed. “y-yeah, i’m fine. why?”

he narrowed his eyes. he knew you had an attraction toward chris even before you would find out on your own. “no reason.” he shrugged.

he moved his eyes toward chris who was already looking at you once you looked back to the tv. matt’s jaw clenched, he knew the attraction was mutual.

that night while matt was out to get some more milk and snacks, you had been sitting on the couch alone just scrolling through tiktok when you heard heavy footsteps making their way downstairs. you looked up meeting chris’s gaze.

the tension between you two filled the room clouding your mind and judgement. you looked back to your phone not even paying attention to the entertainment being displayed.

you heard chris chuckle under his breath. your head snapped up. “something funny?” you asked as he made his way closer to you. he stopped with his hands in his pockets.

he looked you up and down. you felt small when he was staring down at you like he was now. your own eyes scanned him. he had those damn gray sweatpants on that left nothing to the imagination. “mm, nothing. just how you can’t keep a second of eye contact with me.”

his comment caught you off guard, not prepared to be called out like that. “i.. i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

he had a stupid smile plastered on his face. he loved how as soon as he mentioned it you started fidgeting and acting defensive. “oh.. no?” he challenged taking a step forward. he towered over before squatting down and placing his hands on your knees. “look at me.” he demanded, feeling his hands slowly start to inch your legs apart.

what is he doing? you thought to yourself. matt could walk in at any moment but you didn’t have the strength to move.

chris then went to kneel down in front of you, his face getting inches closer by the second. “look at me.” he whispered, now centimeters apart. you felt his breath on your lips. you had still been looking down at your lap but now you had been drawn to his eyes. as soon as you looked at him, his eyes flitted down to your lips before licking his bottom one and leaning forward.

he captured your lips on his molding them to yours. you didn’t kiss back at first a billion thoughts going through your brain. how could i do this to matt? im betraying him, with his own brother. how could i be so horrible to him. regardless of all those thoughts, you hesitated but eventually started kissing back.

as soon as you started to reciprocate his own actions he pushed up against you grabbing onto your hips. your legs wrapped around his waist by default and sooner than later you felt his hardness poke against you. you let out a gasp at the feeling not expecting him to grind up against you like how he’d started to. he moved his mouth down to your neck kissing and slightly sucking.

you knew it was wrong but it felt so good. he eventually pulled away and started moving further down your body, looking up at you through his lashes. he was full-on prepared to remove your pajama pants when you both heard the front door open. matt walked into the room and stopped once he saw what was going on.

you quickly shoved chris off of you causing him to fall backwards. he was able to land back onto his hands propping himself up. matt’s eyes moved to chris who was no doubt turned on but why had been previously happening and then he moved his gaze to you. widened eyes, puffy lips, tousled hair — he knew what the both of you were up to and even though his blood was boiling, he didn’t say a word. he simply set the bags down on the counter, put the stuff he’d bought away, and then went upstairs like nothing ever happened.

your heart dropped as you watched him move. he was so fucking pissed. “fuck!” you whisper-yelled to yourself. “i’m a fucking idiot.”

you heard a breathy laugh come from chris. you lifted up your head narrowing your eyes at him. “what the fuck are you laughing at? do you think this is funny? we both just fucked up.” you hissed at the man. you rested your head in your hands wondering what the fuck came over you.

chris scoffed, “you’re being dramatic.” he stood up adjusting his sweats. “acting like you didn’t want me to kiss you..” he walked away.

you didn’t know what to say. he was right, no matter what, you did want the kiss. you enjoyed it. you stood up dumbfounded. you had to talk to matt.

you hurriedly walked to your shared room, chris following behind you quietly. you entered, seeing matt had changed into his pajamas. “m-matt?” you called out, not prepared for the conversation lying ahead.

he slowly turned, his gaze strong and hard. his jaw was clenched shut. “so how long have you wanted to fuck him, huh?” he questioned, crossing his arms.

you shook your head immediately. “no.. no we didn’t…” you took a deep breath. “i never … fuck — there’s no excuse okay. i’m sorry.” you apologized. you had a look of embarrassment on your face until you saw matt’s lips press together as he held back a grin. he then poked his tongue against his cheek. he wasn’t smiling out of happiness. he was smiling because of events that took place before he left for the store.

like it was mentioned earlier, matt was aware of the mutual attraction between you and chris, so before he left for the store, he and chris had a small chat.

before matt went to the store …

“you want me to… to try to get your girlfriend to kiss me?” chris asked, very confused at the sudden challenge.

matt nodded quickly. “yeah, i always catch her staring and i wanna see if she’d actually do something.” he shrugged.

chris licked his lips. “and if she does?” chris didn’t want his brother to hold it against him.

“then i’ll punish her and show her who she belongs to.”

matt slowly walked forward toward you. the room was silent. you felt intimidated like you were prey being hunted. “tell me, was it not enough to have me… you just had to be a greedy slut and have my brother too?”

you stood there, humiliated. you were too stunned to speak. “i-i…” you stuttered. a million thoughts running through your head.

he laughed humorously at you. “c’mon spit it out, yeah?” his eyes scanned your face. he was moving closer and closer to you, admiring the look of fear and shame you had on. he brought his hand up to move your messy hair out of your face.

even though his blood ran hot at the thought of his own brother having you the way he would… he knew deep down — you’d always love him. you’d always only want him.

he grabbed your face with both of his hands and pulled you toward his, connecting your lips together. he kissed you with so much passion, that his hands made their way to your waist clutching you hard like he planned to never let you go. you were caught off guard by the kiss but promptly kissed him back with equal emotion.

he took the initiative to move you around and back you up against the bed. he stopped you before you could lose your balance. "gonna sit on my lap like a good girl, mkay?" he cooed, moving around the right side of the bed before sitting right in the middle.

you crawled toward him, hypnotized by his soft velvety voice. you settled on his lap feeling his hard-on poking your ass. his hands moved your hair to one shoulder before peppering your neck with kisses. he marked you shamelessly with lovebites. "you're mine." he stated while beginning to remove your bottoms leaving you in your lacy underwear.

his fingers went to your sex, beginning to move onto your clit. "no one will ever make you feel this way." he whispered. your legs began to spread allowing him access to more of you. he moved his fingers in circular motions every now and then moving toward your entrance to gather your arousal.

he painted your clit with your own juices, smoothly stimulating you. you let out quiet little moans as the sensation grew more powerful. your head fell back against his shoulder. "you heard me? c'mon, tell me who this pretty pussy belongs to?" he questioned as he brought you closer and closer to the edge.

"you.. only you matt." you moaned in between staggered breaths. your legs began to shake and your eyebrows began to furrow.

"say it again." his hand increased its pace. "say it. tell how much you love me and how good i make you feel."

you pressed your lips together to suppress your whimpers and gasps. your eyes squinted shut as you spoke. "mm - i love you matt. so fucking much and.. and you make me feel so soo good." your hands were clutching the sheets as you were nearly about to come undone when you heard matt chuckle behind you.

his hand grabbed your chin holding it still before speaking. "open your eyes, baby, you've got company."

your eyes fluttered open and the first thing you saw was chris staring at you, again. his dick print pressing against his sweatpants. he was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, his muscles prominent.

chris couldn't help the way he felt. he couldn't help the way he longed to please you, to be inside you, to hear you screaming his name. he didn't have a desire for anything else but, just for you to be writhing beneath him.

he moved his gaze from you to matt. matt was smart, he could tell his brother was itching to have you. he knew all chris wanted was to make you feel good and that’s where they both had the same goal.

matt’s fingers slowed on your clit, keeping you at the same tortuous spot. edging you, so that you couldn't quite reach that sense of release. "wanna be a good girl for chris too, baby?" your chest was moving up and down, that uncomfortable feeling in your abdomen the only thing on your mind. slowly but hesitantly you nodded your head.

chris was surprised that matt had basically given him permission. there was some sort of brotherly exchange of looks between them before chris entered the room and closed the door behind him. he slowly stalked toward you, eyes never leaving your face.

matt moved you off of him, turning you to face him, and guided you to rest on your knees. "gonna please us both, baby?" you said nothing as you pouted clenching your thighs to try to relieve some of the tension. “oh pretty girl, so needy.”

the way he spoke to you had you just about ready to deep-throat him right then and there. “i’ll be so good for you and chris, please.. just need to cum.” you leaned forward and placed your hands on matt’s thighs.

he grinned before looking at chris. “gonna take me in your mouth while chris takes you, alright? that okay with you?” his hand caressed your cheek. you nodded starting to reach for the waistband of matt’s pajama pants. he lifted his hips allowing you to pull them down a bit revealing his boxers. you then reached and pulled out his hard dick, mouth-watering in the process.

you clenched your legs as you slowly stroked him once earning a small moan. as you were about to place your mouth on his tip you felt chris’s hands meet your naked waist. you gasped, forgetting this was actually happening, that your boyfriend and his brother were here and ready.

chris’s hand trailed down to between your legs, touching your sensitive skin. you let out a shaky exhale. his fingers were soft… similar yet so different. he circled his finger in your hole gathering your arousal before slowly massaging your clit. you let out a hum. “yess…” you whispered.

matt tilted your head up to look at him. “god.. you’re so beautiful.” the praising made you wetter by the second. you leaned forward trying to kiss matt but chris’s grip on your waist tightened pulling you back.

you looked back at him as his grip loosened. “don’t move.” he murmured before inching a finger inside you. you clenched around him, whining because you wanted matt’s lips on yours. “quit whining ma, i’ll make you feel good, promise.”

you pushed back against chris’s hand wanting more. you bit your lip before turning back to matt. you tried to please him, to show him how good you could make him feel. you leaned down taking his tip in your mouth and swirling your tongue over him. his right hand making its way through your hair. “such a good girl for me and my brother huh? this what you always wanted, baby? both of our attention on you?” you pushed your head up and down guiding you to take him in your mouth.

you felt him hit the back of your throat moaning around him sending vibrations down your shaft. “mhm… just like that. taking me so fucking well.” he grunted holding up your hair for you. you bobbed your head up and down, saliva pooling on the side of your lips. you hollowed out your cheeks and just as you were about to try to take all of him in once again, you felt chris’s tip nudge at your entrance.

you sharply inhaled, waiting for his next step. “cannot wait to be inside you.” chris muttered, moving his tip up and down your folds. you let out a noise trying to push toward him so that he’d hurry up. “so impatient…” he tutted.

matt stroked his cock that had the absence of your mouth. when you noticed you took him back in your mouth anticipating chris’s dick to push into you at any moment. your heart was racing, excited about the impending fullness you’d soon receive.

while you waited, you took matt in your mouth continuing your actions from earlier. your eyes rolled back as matt took control of your head. he pushed you down, making sure you took every inch of him. “such a good fucking girl.” he tilted his head to watch as he disappeared in your mouth. “those pretty lips were made to be wrapped around me, huh baby?”

you tried to nod in response to his words but you had been busy being fucked in the mouth. “look at you. you love when i make a mess out of you with my cock, yeah? i know you do.” he sucked on his teeth. matt was getting close to his orgasm so he slowed you down a bit, wanting to savor you as much as possible.

you had been so distracted by matt that when you felt chris inch inside you your eyes widened. you pulled your mouth off matt to let out the most shaken string of whimpers. “finally.. oh god.” you clenched your teeth as chris bottomed out right away nudging your sensitive spot. he clutched your hips before thrusting out and back in.

you heard a rough moan come from chris’s mouth. “so tight but so wet… fuck.” his eyes were closed at the sensation of finally having you wrapped around him. your head fell down as you were in doggy style being fucked from behind by chris. you tried your best to keep yourself up but the way chris hit every part of you had your trembling.

matt once again lifted up your chin. “c’mon baby, show me how much you love and appreciate me. show him how good my girl is.” his cock was red and hard waiting for more of your touch. you nodded promptly taking him in your mouth. you carried on to please him, moving your tongue around him while stroking the rest of him that wasn’t in your mouth with your hand.

the room was being filled with all three of your moans of pleasure. you had sweat dripping down your body and your hair was a mess while you were receiving attention from matt and chris. chris picked up his pace when he noticed how hard you had been trying to please matt. the moan that you had been letting out was caused by chris’s rough thrusts inside you. he rolled his hips, the only thing on his mind being to make you cum.. and make you cum hard. to guarantee you’d enjoy yourself he brought a hand down and massage to massage your clit.

you wanted to scream but with matt in your mouth, you had to keep your cheeks hollow. matt’s bit his lip as he felt himself right at the edge. “that’s right.. that’s my good girl. fuck — always making me feel soo good and treating me so well.” he tilted his head back. “gonna cum, baby. keep going just like that.” he commended.

soon enough matt shot his cum to the back of your throat which you swallowed proudly. you sucked him off like a lolly pop before coming more to your senses. you became fully conscious of chris and how good he had been making you feel. you pressed your lips together trying to stifle your whimpers.

you felt your impending orgasm nearing because of the double stimulation you had been receiving. you clutched matt’s thighs for support. you could tell chris was close too by the way his pace faltered before he picked it up.

before you knew it your body seized up as your orgasm crashed into you. you involuntarily let out a string of moans and whimpers, your thighs shaking with every second that passed.

chris moaned stilling inside you. you didn’t feel his cum paint your walls assuming he used a condom but he stood inside you for a few seconds hands glued to your waist. you soon collapsed on top of matt, causing him to hold you by your underarms before pulling you toward him and hugging you. your head rested on his shoulder followed by small kisses from his lips.

after a minute he whispered, “did so good. did you enjoy yourself?” you did nothing but nod, still exhausted.

chris had a huge smile on his face as he clothed himself back to before. he and matt shared a look before he walked out giving you both your privacy.

you both sat there in silence, just holding each other. you then spoke up, “i love you matt and … regardless of what happened tonight i always will love you.”

he kissed your cheek. “i know, baby. just felt like giving you what you wanted which just happened to be my brother.”

“yes i wanted him but i need you. you know that right?” you reassured him.

he bowed his head with a smile. “mhm.. i know.”

© willowrites

[hotgirlssupportlando]

one day x lando norris pt 4

this is a part of my series following one day of every summer from 2016 onwards in y/n’s and lando's lives, exploring their friendship and love for one another. ofc not a smooth ride with some angst and fights along the way. a friends to lovers, growing up together kind of thing. read first part here pairing: lando norris x fem!reader summary of this part: y/n attending lando's first home race in f1, but her expectations weren't really met warnings: kinda sad :( wc: 1,4k a/n: probably a couple of sad parts now in this series but bear with me!! a one day -series can't only be rainbows and butterflies hehe

summer of 2019

Silverstone Circuit, England

y/n was beyond excited getting her invite from lando to attend his first ever home race in f1. she couldn’t believ that the random boy she had met a few years ago now was one of the top twenty drivers in the world. seeing her best friend advancing in the sport truly made her proud, who would’ve thought he’d be going this far? since day one she had always supported her friend both on track and at distance, nowadays most through late night facetime calls as she was still in Edinburgh studying and Lando traveling all around the world. 

however, now after being months apart the pair would finally meet again and oh my, was she excited!! she couldn’t help but smile sitting in the taxi on her way to silverstone, headphones in listening to her and landos shared playlist. she fiddled with her mclaren paddock pass that already, proudly, was hanging around her neck, closely reading (for maybe the hundredth time) that all the personal information was correct, it would be just typical lan to spell something wrong and causing her trouble. as soon as the paddock pass had arrived in the mail at her uni dorm she had started planning her outfit, carefully picking out clothes and accessories that would perfectly match the colours on the pass. as the self-conscious being she was, she wanted to be prepared, not wanting to make a fool of herself or lando by turning up as a girl who didn’t look like she belonged there.  

now she was sat stroking her new white dress, contemplating whether it was too boring or too much, and what would lando think, would he like it? and why didn’t she take the other dress instead, it would have looked much better! her mind was racing, overthinking every little thing that came to mind and her worries quickly aggravated looking outside the cab window at all the beautifully looking fans that stood waiting outside the paddock hoping to see their favourite drive appear from one of the taxis. oh well, she thought, there’s nothing i can do about it now. she took a deep breath before exiting the car, shyly walking toward the entrance where she blipped her paddock pass and quickly rushed away headed towards the big mclaren sign in the distance. overwhelmed by the situation she just wanted to see lando, knowing that his presence would calm her nerves.

after some walking she finally arrived at the mclaren hospitality, almost immediately spotting jon, lando’s trainer. ”hi we’ve only seen each other through facetime but i’m y/n l/n, landos friend”, she said approaching jon. ”oh hello, i thought i recognized you from somewhere!” he smiled, ”you’re probably looking for lando?”. y/n nodded smilingly. jon looked around a bit worried, telling her that he should be here somewhere but that his schedule had been a bit hectic this race day morning. she was offered to wait in the hospitality while jon was gonna go tell lando that she had arrived. with a good mood she went and grabbed a tea, sitting at a table that overlooked mclaren’s part of the pit lane. 

after scrolling a bit on her phone and texting her friend, she saw in her periphery, more specifically in the garage, a familiar looking boy. he was giving some fangirls a tour around the garage, letting one and one test sit in his car. he looked so happy, being in his element. after a short while jon approached lando, and by his lips y/n could read something about her arrival. landos reaction was cute, he seemed excited that she was there but didn’t seem ready to come meet her just yet. y/n was just glad she had seen him at a distance and didn’t mind waiting for some time longer, she had already waited several months so what harm could another hour do?

if it only had been an hour or two or even three.. patiently she sat waiting, looking at the clock seeing it was nearly time for race preparations. nope, she thought, if she wanted to see him she would need to take it into her own hands, and that’s what she did. confidently she walked the same route she had seen jon take to the garage and after getting lost a couple times she found a visitor friendly spot. at the same place other high paying fans were stood looking at the team doing their pre race preparations. lando, as the kind boy he was, of course greeted the fans and let them take pictures with him. shortly after he spotted y/n who stood with a huge smile and open arms to greet him in an usual hug, but she wasn’t met by the same excitement. a rather cold and quick hug was what she got, from a boy that felt unexpectedly unfamiliar. a bit caught of guard by the reception and embarrassed by the amount of people that had seen this awkward encounter she felt like running far away. somehow she managed to still ask lando if their agreed meetup after the race was still on, to which she received a short ”yeah, sure”. 

stunned from the whole situation she went back up to the hospitality and watched the race in some kind of haze. wtf was that? she didn’t have to be here, lando was the one that invited her there, didn’t some good old kindness include in that package? presumably not then. her thoughts wandered, shocked that the boy she had known for years abruptly was someone totally else, just because they weren’t alone, the two of them, as they usually was. or was she overreacting? maybe it wasn’t that bad. or maybe this was her fault? she could’ve put a bit more makeup on and change the dress so that she would’ve been prettier, maybe that was the problem, that she wasn’t as pretty as the other girls in the paddock. 

in the middle of her overthinking someone patted her on the shoulder making her jump of fear out of her seat. ”sorry sorry sorry! i didn’t mean to scare you” a familiar voice half laughed, half tried to sound serious. she turned around meeting a pair of kind brown eyes, it was carlos sainz she remembered, lando’s teammate. ”are you waiting for someone?” he asked. y/n looked at the clock, it was late, somehow she had been thinking about her own problems so long that she hadn’t noticed that the race was done ages ago and that the other hospitality guests had gone home. ”oh yeah, i was waiting for lando, he’s my friend, but i guess he has forgotten about me.. again” y/n said not covering her disappointment very well. carlos smiled compassionately, like he understood, ”i’m sorry.. i remember when i was new to f1, everything’s so new and exciting that sometimes the one’s that has been with you from the start gets left behind..”. ”well, thats assuring” y/n laughed quietly as she felt her eyes tearing up. ”noo sorry, y/n was it? i didn’t mean to upset you, what i meant to say was that in the beginning you get kind of caught up in the fame and girls running after you, but when you settle in to the sport you sooner or later understand who the real one’s are” he said and gently hugged you afterwards. y/n sniffled after the hug ”well i hope so.. this wasn’t at all what i expected from this day” she sighed walking towards the door out of the hospitality. ”i’m certain he will come around, some new drivers take more time than others to realize that all the new attention is just empty and fake, nothing that can compare to a girl that waited the clock around to hopefully see her friend” he smiled trying to cheer y/n up. a small smile cracked on her face as she thanked him whilst they walked out of hospitality together. 

they didn’t have to walk very far before she heard lando’s familiar laugh, y/n turning around to spot lando in the distance, flirting with some very beautiful girls, noticing how he didn’t have a thought in the world about his old friend. she felt her heart sink and eyes tearing up again, was she really that forgettable? if anything, it only confirmed all her self-conscious thoughts. carlos that was walking beside her noticed the same as her and immediately connected his eyes with y/n’s, giving her a compassionate look while hugging her from the side. ”don’t you worry darling, remember my words”

_____

taglist

@amberpanda99 @phantomxoxo @landossainz @chezmardybum @lan4cha16 @tvdtw4ever @starlit-skiessss @dorothea47

[girliism]

you don’t when it happened but you knew you felt it. patrick falling out of love with you, after twelve long years of marriage. but what had caused it? was it when you gave birth to your son? did he now find your body unattractive? couldn’t have been that, he made sure to tell you how beautiful you were, he worshiped you now no less than he did before, even giving you a daughter two years later. was it when you asked him to retire after he lost the us opening? “pat, maybe it’s time-” patrick stood up abruptly. “no. i’m not retiring, not yet, i still have one good season left in me.” or maybe it was when he started to rekindle with his recently divorced old girlfriend. “tashi said she’d coach me.” patrick said. you didn’t know how to feel as you watched him dry himself off. tashi the gorgeous ex girlfriend that he had weird history with. “oh… tashi.” patrick gave you that look he often gave your son when he was unimpressed with his goofing around during practice. “it’s not like that.” no, it was before that, when him forgetting little things like to kiss you goodbye when he left in the morning, or how he stopped sending you a good night message when he wouldn’t be home in time, turned into him forgetting your wedding anniversary.

“my parents have the kids tonight so it’ll be just us.” you laying on the massage table next to your best friend. the whole day was spent getting your hair and nails done, your body fully waxed and now massaged. “are you gonna do the steak and potatoes or the alfredo?” you hummed thinking. “probably the steak, i just bought this wine that’ll be perfect for it.” so you spent hours making steak just how he liked it, roasting potatoes so they were that perfectly crispy but not burnt. you put on a new dress and wore that perfume he loved, only to wait hours for him to get home. it was 1 am. you scraped your fork back and forth on your empty plate as you stared at the clock. 1:01 am. 29 minutes late patrick stumbled in. drunk. “where were you?” your voice was soft as you watched patrick trip over his own feet. “shit! fucking scared me.” patrick laughed, taking in your appearance. “why are you so dressed up?” you stared blankly at him. “do you what today is?” there’s no way he could have forgotten. right? “saturday.” “the date, patrick, what’s the date.” you were practically begging him to remember. patrick closed his eyes for a second trying to get his half drunk mind to remember. “it’s uh. fuck, the 15th it’s the 15th.” “of may patrick!” you yell at him, trying to hide the fact you were about to cry. you could tell when he finally understood. patrick’s head fell and a deep sigh left him. “shit, baby i’m so sorry” you turned away from him. “the guys, they wanted to get drinks after practice and i lost track of time.” patrick whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist dropping kisses on your shoulder. but he didn’t just forget cause he was out with friends. you thought back on the whole day, how no flowers greeted you when you woke up like usual, or how he didn’t call you to tell you something random that happened at your wedding that you surely forgot but he didn’t cause that day was on repeat in his mind. “there’s food on the table.” you walked away from him, wiping the tears that were falling fast.

the sound of padded feet running down the hall snaps you back to the present as you tear your eyes away from your wedding ring. “mommy, can we make pizza now.” your daughter plopped her little body next to you on the bed. sometimes you wonder if your genes even put up a fight as you stare down at the little girl who looked exactly like her father. “yeah, go grab your brother and i’ll meet you down stairs.” you tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, watching her running out the room. it was friday, and the kids have been begging for a family pizza making night and patrick finally had an off day. “have you seen my watch, the gold one?” patrick rushes around the room dressed oddly nice. “where are you going?” patrick freezes in the hall. “to uh meet with tashi, she wants us to look over some prints for a campaign.” tashi. “but, tonight we’re supposed to be making pizza, it’s literally all the kids have been asking me about.” you followed patrick to the front door. “i’m really sorry honey, but these prints they have to go out at a certain time and tashi she wants us to look over them together.” it was like that now a days, if tashi called patrick came running. “but daddy, it’s pizza night.” your daughter pouted, dressed up in a little chef outfit. “i know, princess and daddy is very sorry, wait for me a bedtime, i’ll read to you tonight.” your daughter nod saying goodbye before running back into the kitchen. “i want be long.” “ok, i love yo-” the door was slammed.

patrick wasn’t back by bedtime. “he probably just got caught up baby, he’ll read to you next time.” you had to explain to your daughter. you got a sick wave of deja vu siting there at the dinner table. waiting, waiting, and waiting. when patrick got home the house was dark and the stairs creaked as he crept up them. “how was it.” patrick jumped a little, not expecting to see you just sitting there. “fine.” patrick cleared his throat walking into the walk in closet. you smelt it in the air when he walked past. her perfume. it wasn’t faint either, it was as if he rolled around in it. “you smell like her.” patrick let out a sigh walking right past to the bathroom. “we hugged goodbye.” he was hiding something, you could see it in his desperation to get away from you. “did you fuck her?” time froze for a second, the only sounds being the breathing coming from you and patrick. “what?” “did you fuck her, did you have sex with tashi.” you weren’t backing off. “wh-why would i do that? you, you’re crazy.” you weren’t. “answer the question patrick.” tears welled up in your eyes, voice cracking, but you refused to cry. “just fucking answer me.” your voice was loud but still low enough not to wake the kids. patrick squeezed his eyes shut, pinching his nose bridge in annoyance. “i’m not gonna answer such a stupid fucking question.” you huffed. “fine, then do you still love me?” please just say yes and tell me in being paranoid. you thought, picking at the skin of your finger nail. patrick turned to face for the first time since he got back. “of course i do.” the tears you were holding back finally slip when patrick places his hands on your cheeks. you felt that the sliver band that usually rest on his ring finger wasn’t there. you pulled his hand from your cheek stroking over the empty spot. “love.” patrick whispered. “wait wait, please i can explain. it was just this one time, it ment nothing, i love you, please, i do i love you.” the fear of losing you was setting in and patrick’s eyes were started getting watery. you sighed, teary eyed and red nosed. “i really wish you didn’t sound like you were trying to convince yourself of that.” patrick looked at you with wet eyes. “baby.” you pulled your hands out of his and walked out of the room.

(why i’m sad like i didn’t just write this.)

[deadfrog-and-friends]

Rag Doll washes the tea things when the party is over because otherwise they won't get cleaned. the old Scullery Doll was much better and quicker at it but there were so many tea parties that she broke. one day when they stuck the key in her back it just wouldn't turn anymore and no one knew how to fix it. she just waits in her chair by the fireplace, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. we give her tea every day so she doesn't feel left out but it just grows cold in her lap.

we all have our duties. Rag doll's duty was to tuck everyone into bed at night. that's what she was made for. she was made so a young witch, frightened of the dark, would not be alone. she was made to say "are you comfortable? close your eyes. this one will tell you a story," and such things. the young witch is grown and gone away, and none of the dolls here seem to need that, so Rag stands at the sink with a teacup in one hand and a soapy sponge in another, late into the night. the soapy damp smell has become a part of her. she never feels fully dry. there is only so long she can stand being tumbled in the machine. so every night, instead of crawling into bed with the other dolls, she hangs herself from the clothesline with the fan blowing on her. someday Scullery will be fixed, and this duty will be lifted from her, and the smell will fade, but for now she hardly feels fit to present herself at the tea table.

Mabel helps by bringing all of the tea things to the kitchen, which is wonderful of it, because Rag can't handle the tray and would have to make individual trips for each piece. Mabel Doll has suggested that Rag wear some kind of rubber gloves, there are some that the witch used to use for magical purposes of some kind, but Rag has no fingers. the gloves are too big and the fingers get in the way. Baker Doll who happens to be passing by looks at Rag's cloth stumps and chuckling starts to suggest condoms before Mabel cuts it off. but Rag Doll has tried washing teacups with condoms. they're weirdly greasy. "this one is fine," Rag insists.

"that one is starting to get moldy," Mabel points out.

"a witch will come," says Rag, "and Scullery will be fixed."

~🧽~

years pass. the witch who finally comes can not fix Scullery. "Ro just left you guys here to your own devices," she observes, shaking her head. "Pity."

"miss Ro has many responsibilities," ventures Mable.

"not *that* many," says the new witch. "Scullery here, for example, a beautifully well-made piece of machinery. the silicone coating is lifelike, flexible, and durable. i've never seen its like. it apologizes, by the way, for neglecting the dishes all these years. what a waste, letting it rot out here."

"it needn't worry," ventures Mable. "Rags has taken over its duties."

at this, a giant gear within Scullery cranks into action, clicking over once. some of us jump, some scream, as this is the first we've seen it move in years and our memories are not very long. Scullery's hand jerks, toppling the cup of tea placed in its lap. luckily, its heat resistant silicone will seal out the hot liquid, preventing it from any harm. its skirt will have to be laundered. (we will probably just spot clean it.)

Scullery falls back into permanent stillness. "it's very upset," the new witch remarks. "it said 'that rag doll is least suitable to perform this one's duties."

"well, it's doing its best," says Mabel. "but we hope miss Ro will come back and give it some new body. that one is starting to be like a sponge that is ready to be thrown out."

"we did suggest gloves," says Sweetie. "this one thinks it just enjoys the feeling of decay. not every doll is capable of it, you know. this one will never decay. in a thousand years its parts will still be littering the planet." Sweetie's eyes get a faraway look.

"did it not occur to any of you," the witch says, the misery of the situation beginning to soak in, "that maybe one of the dolls who's not made out of absorbent, um, cloth, would be a better choice for washing the dishes?"

blank stares. finally "these ones' witch is gone."

"but Rag Doll offered to do it. Rag Doll said it was fine."

"we have our duties. this one sweeps the floor and dusts, for example."

"this one is also made of cloth! this one thinks that one is insane for taking on such a task."

"Rag got mad when this one tried to help. Rag screamed at this one."

"no." none of us had given it that much thought.

so the new witch goes into the kitchen to see Rag Doll. "oh, you poor thing," comes out of her mouth before she can stop herself. Rag, startled, falls off the back of the chair it's standing on. it had slunk back into the kitchen, defeated, the moment it had heard the new witch say she could do nothing for Scullery.

the new witch skips over and turns off the faucet. "what is it you were actually made for, little one?" she holds out her hand to help Rag Doll to its feet.

it struggles to remember. "this one... was made to tell bedtime stories and snuggle in bed." the years have not been kind to it. at least it's freshly laundered, having gone through the washing machine and tumbled in the dryer just a few nights ago.

"my name is Zo. may I pick you up?"

not believing what it's hearing, the doll nods, and suddenly it's being lifted into the air! levitated by a magical supportive pair of arms, and pressed into the chest of a Witch. it would take that one's breath away, if that one could breathe. it was like a purpose, long forgotten, was starting to reawaken. "a good weight, a good squish," the witch was muttering. "plenty of latent magic, plenty of spells to decrease the smell of dishes over time. little one, i might just steal you!"

"wha-?"

but before it could object, miss Zo, with Rag Doll in her arms, was hopping on Elizabeta's broom and zooming out through an open window. when Baker stopped in a moment later, all it observed was a sink full of half-washed teacups and the curtains swaying in the wind.

those half-washed teacups stayed in the sink like that for a few more days, and then Baker and Mabel agreed to share the job.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

George Orwell's 11 Rules for the Perfect Cup of Tea

George Orwell:

If you look up ‘tea’ in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points. This is curious, not only because tea is one of the mainstays of civilization in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes. When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than 11 outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own 11 rules, every one of which I regard as golden:

First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays—it is economical, and one can drink it without milk—but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.

Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities—that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.

Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water.

Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes—a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.

Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly.

Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference.

Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle.

Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup—that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one’s tea is always half cold—before one has well started on it.

Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste.

Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.

Lastly, tea—unless one is drinking it in the Russian style—should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tea-lover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.

Some people would answer that they don’t like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again. These are not the only controversial points to arise in connection with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tealeaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one’s ration the 20 good, strong cups that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.

Published in the Evening Standard, 12 January 1946

[vidavalor]

How do you think the Ineffable Husbands reacted to the 1914 Christmas Armistice?

Also, it is autumn now and very cloudy and soggy, so here is a seasonally-appropriate recipe: https://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/caramelised-apple-cheesecake

Aw, a recipe! You're lovely. 😊 That looks amazing!

I envy you being in one firm season over there. September is a transition month here in New England. Half-summer, half-fall. It's very strange, though, not terrible. One day is lemonade and watermelon and the next is where's my blanket? and I need an apple something and looking up what day Bake Off starts to air over here. Another week, though, and it'll be pretty much fall from here on out. Definitely going to make that cheesecake. 😊

I think they probably reacted to the Christmas Armistice the same way many of us do when we learn about it-- that it's both beautiful and morbidly depressing at once. It showed people coming together to express a sense of shared humanity but then they went back to killing one another afterwards. It wasn't a new story for Crowley and Aziraphale because they had seen that in people all throughout history but I'm sure they found the same mix of hopefulness and sadness in it that a lot of people do.

The one who understands what it takes to bring about peace now best in the series is actually Gabriel, imho. It's because he understood the deeper meaning of Sandalphon's words that Sandalphon didn't actually understand himself: "you can't have a war without war."

Some short thoughts on ties between war, frozen peas, and one of my favorite of Agnes Nutter's prophecies beneath the cut.

When Sandalphon said: "you can't have a war without war", what he meant was: "Look how clever I think I am to use this word twice in two ways in one sentence! You can't have a war without War: The Character! Mirelle Enos is playing a character that shares a name with large-scale killing and destruction and I pointed it out! I'm so smart!"

Gabriel, though, heard the potential of bigger ideas: "You can't have a war (a large-scale military conflict) without war (people willing to fight in a war and, also, a person's inner struggle leading them to be willing to fight in war)."

Meaning: A war can only happen if people are willing to fight the war.

Meaning: No soldiers, no war.

Gabriel knew Aziraphale heard it like that, too, and was like lol Aziraphale, this guy thinks he's a poet omg let me flatter him enough that he won't notice that I just tried to help you sell more erotica and didn't murder you for having a lover and then we'll get out of here...

Gabriel saying that he "might use that one day" about what Sandalphon says is a line that-- delightfully-- ages quite differently the more we get to know Gabriel.

We know he said it in that moment to make it sound like he was telling Sandalphon that what Sandalphon had said was just so profound that Gabriel was tempted to use it himself... but we also know that Gabriel is neither as dumb nor as vapid as he strategically lets people think he is and that he understood the deeper way of looking at what Sandalphon said more than Sandalphon did.

Looking back on it, it's Gabriel actually joking about mutinying in front of Heaven's most fervent Metatron-worshipping fascist in a way that is very much going over Sandalphon's head. Gabriel is all can't have a war without war-- yeah, true dat, Stasi a Fond. I'm slowly losing it over here and my favorite fantasy is just peacing out entirely of this whole 'Commander of The Heavenly Host' shit and wouldn't that really completely eff up The Ineffable Plan? Oh, my secret daydream... if only I could...

Then, what happens, though, by the end of S1?

Gabriel sees a kid do just that.

The eleven year old spawn of Satan is all yeah, no, you can't have a war without war. I don't want to start a war. I like the world. I've got enough on my plate dealing with my own life-- I don't want to rule over everyone. I want everyone to feel at peace and be happy and take care of each other.

Gabriel was freaked out because of the consequences of this and the fact that he, at the the time, thought The Metatron might kill him for failing to start Armageddon but, after the day was over and Gabriel had a moment to breathe and think about it, you can't tell me he didn't hear Adam saying that it was too much pressure to be in charge of every other living being in existence and he just wanted to chill with the people he liked and live his own life in peace and let everyone else do that, too and think to himself:

Yeah, kid. Me too.

The dude who is told he's responsible for everyone in Heaven and who sees angels falling as partly his fault and whom the humans deify and to whom they make statues was like fucking hell, the little antichrist brat was right.

He realized that it's not about Armageddon, it's about living and building a life until you have all the world you need. It's about what Crowley and Aziraphale have been trying to do and about what he and Beez were as well. Gabriel's proposal to Beez is a simple one:

What if, instead of Armageddon, there was no Armageddon?

What if, instead of war, there's no war?

So, he ended up fulfilling his own prophecy a bit when the one day came when he used what Sandalphon said-- just not in the way that Sandalphon meant it but in the way that Gabriel himself and Aziraphale heard it: you can't have a war without war... no war exists if enough people refuse to fight it.

That's the way to stop Armageddon.

Gabriel came to realize that the best thing he could do as a leader in Heaven and commander of its armed forces was to refuse to fight, come what may. He quits the army and defects to the embassy of the only independent country that exists in the supernatural world: the United States of Crowley and Aziraphale.

As Agnes said:

...the calm cometh when Redde and Whyte and Black and Pale approache to Peas is Our Professioune.

In this case: Redde/Red (Crowley), Whyte/White (Aziraphale), Black (Beez), Pale (Gabriel). To profess: to state. Peas = the talking of frozen peas because homophone: peace.

The calm cometh when Crowley, Aziraphale, Beez and Gabriel talk and each get closer to their own peace and to peace with one another and help each other to spread that mentality throughout all those willing in Heaven and Hell and Earth.

That's what you feed the other ducks-- your frozen peas. Your own stuff that is disturbing your own inner peace and creating inner wars and small-scale conflicts that, if left unchecked, can build into larger-scale ones.

If you break that shit down and talk about it, there needn't be any war.

Sometimes, it means shedding some armor, keeping an open mind, and admitting that you were wrong-- all things that can be difficult...

...especially for those are secretly tender-hearted but put up that armor to survive in worlds steeped in toxic masculinity...

...and, sometimes, it's maddening because people are scared and get set in their ways and do dumb shit and you have to upend power structures and reinforce more positive behaviors to get them to shut up long enough to start listening to one another...

...but the more who learn to unlearn the harmful stuff at the core of their own struggles and who open their minds up to listening to others, the more we're professing our peas to our fellow ducks and getting closer to peace within ourselves and within the world as a whole and that's what it's all about. It might always be approaching Peas is Our Professioune rather than a perfectly peaceful world but the point is the effort of the approach and to just keep making steady progress as much as we can while we're walking the Earth. After all...

[mintywolf]

(I wrote this on the train coming home on August 26th although I am just getting around to posting it now because time is a weird soup.)

So okay.

****

I haven’t written a personal journal post in a long time but I want to write down EVERYTHING I can remember about my adventure to NYC to see the Critical Role cast so I don’t forget. It was SUCH a moving experience and I’m so glad I went even though I was scared.

So okay my big goal for this year was to finish the first chapter of my C3 prequel fan comic A Long Road Home (southerngothiccomic.com), have a print edition made, and meet Laura and Marisha at a convention so I could give copies of it to them in person. When the CR cast announced they were going to be at Anime NYC this year I figured that was the closest they were probably going to get to me in Virginia. (And getting autographs at NYCC is reportedly like hunting a unicorn so I figured this would be my best chance.)

I was also terrified, and almost talked myself out of it because I was nervous about giving them the comic, even though I already had a badge and it was what I really, really wanted to do. I know the cast loves to see fanart — and also, it has been revealed, reads the fanfic — but it’s also a pretty well-known taboo for a fan to show their fanfic to a creator and a graphic novel is an unholy hybrid of the two. I was also worried that it would seem presumptuous of me to present them with a fanmade prequel graphic novel because there’s almost certainly going to be an official one at some point, and afraid that at best they might politely tell me they couldn’t accept it (for the reasons that comic writers aren’t “allowed” to read fanfic), and at worst they might be kind of annoyed that it exists. Either way I’d be REALLY sad, and in the weeks leading up to the con I worked myself up into an irrational panic about this. Fortunately my friends managed to talk me into not backing out (and spoilers: it turned out okay in the end!) but I was still very scared.

Also I was so focused on the comic stuff that I forgot until after GenCon earlier this month to think of what I wanted to actually have autographed. I decided to get a big print of the chapter one cover from INPRNT, assuming that since I ordered it two weeks in advance with an eta of 5-7 days that would be plenty of time for it to get to me. Well, reader, it was not. (But please do not let me dissuade you from using INPRNT! To their credit when I contacted them and asked if I could upgrade to rush delivery, they expedited it for free. Unfortunately even with rush shipping it just missed me, arriving at my house while I was on the train to NYC.)

Pâté on the train going to see his biological parents. (Laura and Marisha.)

When I saw that it wasn’t going to arrive in time I was starting to panic because there is nowhere near me to have art prints made. It’s a 15 minute drive (past the alpaca farm) just to get to the nearest grocery store. Grasping at straws I was kind of like Should I . . . draw something? On paper?? With real media that I haven’t used in like 10 years??? I only have 3 days!!!

Fortunately my life was saved by @emphaticembroiderer who had the brilliant suggestion of sending my art ahead to a print shop in NYC and picking it up before the convention. There are indeed MANY of those in New York and I managed to find one that was open on Saturdays and able to make my print on short notice. (567 Framing on W 14th street. The owner, Jack Hu, did excellent work and was very kind!) By that point I was frazzled and didn’t want two of the same print so I decided to be self-indulgent and had this one made. Not my showiest piece but it is one of my favorite things I’ve drawn. (This turned out to be the correct decision.) It’s a 6 1/2 hour train ride from here to there (and it got a little delayed along the way) so by the time I got there it was after 5 and the print shop closed at 6:30 so I zoomed over there straight from the train station to pick it up. It turned out BEAUTIFULLY, and the owner was pleased with how happy I was with it and that he’d been able to help.

He enjoys that he is included.

Then I went and checked in to my hotel and that point really just wanted to lie down on a bed but I had plans to take Pâté to see Hadestown on Broadway that night because I wanted to make the most of my trip. (Also it’s important for our scrungly son to receive a cultural education.) In keeping with the theme of the weekend I wore the Laudna-themed sundress I made for GenCon with one of the poppies in my hair. An usher told me they liked my ensemble. :) I had decided to go for a front row mezzanine seat because I didn’t know when I’d ever have this opportunity again and I didn’t want to risk my miniature self being stuck behind a tall person. It was perfect; I could see everything and the performance was AMAZING. Pâté had a very good time too.

The next day was the CR panel and autographs!! I decided to wear my 1950s Laudna cosplay from GenCon. I had some doubts about it when I got there because without the rest of 50s Bells Hells the theme isn’t as clear and outside of a DnD-focused convention the recognizability of a CR character is kind of low, let alone an AU variant on one. But once I found the Critters my Pâté poodle skirt was appreciated. :)

This is Rach @dadrielle, Astoria @astoriacolumnstaircase, Abby @overnighttosunflowers, and me as 50s Hells at GenCon!

And okay I know this said a lot but it’s true, CR fans are the NICEST fandom to be a part of. <3 If you’re ever standing in line for a CR thing by the time you get there you will have new friends. (For comparison the other-fandoms cosplayers I saw at the hotel and on the way to the con didn’t even return my smiles, even though we were all clearly going to the same place.) I fell in with a group of people who were near me in line (including an amazing Owlbearman cosplayer) and we decided to all sit together. The panel was really great. I don’t remember everything that was asked because of everything ELSE that happened later that day but they hinted that Big Things are coming (including multiple live shows!! Please come to Richmond! Or DC! Or at least somewhere on the East Coast!) for the 10th anniversary and Momlan stepped up to the mic during the Q&A segment and revealed that Sam has achieved his childhood dream . . . to become a minotaur. :D

With the mindset of making the most of this trip I had intended to try to get a spot in line to ask a question but I was hesitant about being on camera (even in cosplay) and while I was dithering about it like 50 people got in line. (I was also Suffering by that point because my rockabilly Laudna shoes have like 3 inch heels and after walking from the hotel to the convention center I didn’t have the fortitude to dart over to the line in them.)

My question, which I hope to submit next time there’s a Q&A opportunity, was this: For Marisha. We’ve seen Delilah’s influence manifesting in Laudna’s fashion choices recently. Now that she has the means and the freedom to do so, what kind of clothes would she choose for herself?

(Because I am a little sad that — until a possible post-campaign oneshot — we’ll never get to see a high-level Laudna costume that’s totally of her own design and I’m really eager to know what it would look like! Let her be spooky and free!)

Afterwards the cosplayers were being rounded up for a photo shoot but I was anxious to get a good spot in line for my autograph with Laura at 2pm so I stealthed away with Ken (@elissabrat), a Jester fan I had met in line, who knew where they were and had one with Travis at the same time. When we got there we were told No, go away and come back in an hour and a half, because it was still only 12. So we went to the Artists Alley where we found a girl named Lea whom we had also met in the panel line and collected a few other stray Critters (Ken has a boisterous and inviting personality and importantly, is very tall, preventing the rest of us from getting lost in the crowd) and we wandered around seeking out all the CR fan artists we could find. (There were a lot! It was great. I got some prints.)

by Cait May and Maliveth

Around 1 we decided to go back and see what the line situation was. Before we parted ways I exchanged twitter handles with Lea, who looked at my profile and said “Wait . . . this is you?”

She told me she was a big fan of my comic and looks forward to it every week! and we were both kind of like !!! at each other for a moment. I had never met someone who recognized my art in the wild before. (On ANY other day this would have been the most amazing thing that happened to me, haha.) I was so touched to meet her. <3

I took out the two books I was carrying and explained why I was there and we all got hyped up about it. And it made it feel a little less daunting, to know that there was someone there who understood the quest I was on and how close I was to the end of it.

I was like 5th in line for Laura and since it was still early I got to participate in that bonding experience integral to every con, sitting on the floor in cosplay, with a very good Vex behind me. (Hilariously, even after the dig at them — or maybe unaware of it — in the most recent episode, there were a lot of Funko Pop resellers around us, haha.)

I sent word to Southern Gothic Discord to remember me fondly in case I died here. In fact I'm not entirely sure that I didn't.

It felt like there was a disproportionate amount of fanfare revealing my print because I kept it how it was packed by the printer, wrapped in paper in between two pieces of cardboard so it wouldn’t get bent, so there was this whole ceremony of peeling back the tape, turning under one of the cardboard protectors, unfolding the paper, and turning over the print. But Laura loved it. She made like a happy sob when she saw it (it was really cute) and she looked at it for a long time taking in all the details and said it was beautiful. <3 <3 <3 (No matter how much we love and ship Imogen and Laudna, NO ONE loves them or is shipping them harder than Laura Bailey. She asked if I was going to bring it to Marisha too and was careful picking out a spot so there'd be room for both of their signatures. :))

I told her I was really happy to meet her because I’ve been a fan since BloodRayne (so, um. 20 years) and she said “oh wow, that was OG days!” And she gave me just a really kind look like she understood how much it meant to me to be there.

Then I gave her the comic. You all were right, I was worried about nothing! because she is the sweetest and she loved it. I very nervously pushed it across the table and said it was a comic I had made and wanted to give her. She picked it up and started turning the pages and was surprised when she saw what it was. “Wait, this is a whole novel! You made this?”

I confessed that I had, and she asked how long it had taken, I told her about a year (it was actually longer; in the moment I kind of forgot not how many pages there are in the first chapter but how many weeks are in a year) and she looked just really impressed that I had made it and touched by how much work had gone into it. She said she couldn’t wait to read it and seemed really excited to hear that it’s still going online! (So no pressure on me there if she's keeping up with it now, haha. o.o) And she kept looking between the book and me like she couldn’t believe it.

Then she asked me if I would sign it for her. :')

Somehow I survived long enough to do so! (a little wobbly because my hands were shaking) and someone (I think it was the ticket scanner) made a joke about how I was the first person to give an autograph at a signing, haha. And then she came around the table and gave me a hug. <3 <3 <3

After that my soul was still on the ethereal plane but the rest of me managed to find my way (after a brief wrong turn) to Marisha’s line. (There was a really good Keyleth and Caduceus in line behind me and they kindly noticed and returned the Pâté sticker that fell out of Marisha’s book).

She recognized my cosplay as 1950s Laudna right away! which was very validating after my earlier indecision haha. She loved the Pâté skirt and thought the scissors embroidery on my collar was adorable. She really liked the art too and was kind of like “Awww” about the book like in an “aww it’s an Imogen and Laudna thing” kind of way (she also liked the glass bottle windchimes on the cover and I love that she noticed that detail because Laudna’s penchant for turning things other people have thrown away into arts and crafts is one of my favorite aspects of her character) until she opened it and started looking through it.

Then she said, “Wait, this is actually really good," and she asked me seriously if Liam “Art Dad” knew about it (I said he had liked some of my other art on Twitter but I didn’t know if he knew about the comic) and then she said — still looking at it, more to herself than me — “We’ll have to add it to our art catalogue.” I don’t know exactly what that means (and I don’t want to get my hopes up too high by speculating; I was too !!! in the moment to ask and now I’m going to be wondering) but . . . it sounds . . . exciting??

They also both enjoyed Pâté and his lil sunglasses. :)

I had gone up with the intention of asking my other burning question: How does being cold-blooded affect Laudna in cold climates? If she gets too cold will she enter a state of brumation like a lizard? Will she freeze solid?

But I forgot. And it really wouldn’t have been the right moment. Maybe when I come back with Volume Two. :)

You’re supposed to pay extra to get a quote put on there but they both did it anyway without even asking. I think they must be really pleased when someone brings them something personal that they’ve made to have signed and not something they’re planning to sell.

After that I just kind of floated away from the con even though it was only like 2:30 haha. Nothing else could have happened there that would have equaled or improved upon that experience. Although I did adopt a Tentacle Kitty. The vendor (correctly) guessed “you look like you’d vibe with our spooky collection” so I had to get a new buddy for Pâté. (50s Laudna, still readily identifiable as a witch wherever she goes.) Also I saw a very chill emotional support pomeranian in a backpack.

(On the way back I saw the mark of the Traveler graffiti’d in green on the sidewalk. Truly a blessed day. :P)

Afterwards I just sat on the bed in my hotel room amid the floof of my crinoline wondering what even is my life for the next few hours and being like !!!! at Discord. Then I met up with Abby (whom it was wonderful to see again!! thank you so much for coming to see me) for dinner and had a really lovely time going over the What Just Happened of it all and talking about Imodna over strawberry pancakes. As one does. Perfect ending to an amazing day. <3

It was SUCH an incredible, exhilarating experience, thank you everyone who pushed me into not giving up out of fear. Laura and Marisha are SO nice and gracious in person and it was just so rewarding, after all the work and love and time I’ve put into this comic, to be able to finally bring it to the people who inspired it! And to see it appreciated and admired by them! It was more than I ever could have imagined.

This fandom is the best. My heart is so happy and full of love right now. <3 <3 <3

[strawberries-and-lots-of-kisses]

Best Friend’s Crush, pt. 2

(Harlow sister’s best friend reader x Jack)

T/W: smut❤️‍🔥

A/N: Thank you everyone who read Chapter 1, I hope you like Chapter 2 the same if not more. My anons are always open for any suggestions you wanna make for the next parts of the story.

~~ Chapter 2 ~~

The next few weeks, you would find yourself thinking about Jack sometimes. Every single time a thought about him came up, you would just rub it off and do something else. You stopped listening to his music for a few weeks, that really helped. You even debated on telling Sophia and just downright ask her to introduce the two of you. You were so down bad, and you couldn’t even make up your mind on how you even wanted to proceed.

You thought it would be a good idea to start dating around. Maybe that would help you focus on other guys and not think much about Jack. You did, and it was fun, but nothing ever came out of it. You were just dating around and having fun.

It was March 2023, at this point almost a year had already passed since you started heavily crushing on Jack. You were hanging, watching movies and eating dinner with Sophia when she asked you to go to Louisville with her for the weekend. She wanted to visit her parents and she thought it was the perfect opportunity for you to see the city and meet her parents.

You were looking forward to it, Sophia would always talk about Louisville and about her family, so to say you were excited was an understatement. You and Sophia got home, went up and settled into her room, unpacking some things. You both walked down the stairs and got to the dinner table. Jack was sitting at the table with his parents and Clay. Your breath hitched in your throat, and you were really hoping that your face hadn’t shown your reaction, you didn’t want Jack to think he has any effect on you. All of them immediately stood up and came to greet you. First his parents, then Clay, and finally Jack.

“I’m Jack, Y/n. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand out to you like the true gentleman he is. You were so not expecting it, this was a casual setting. You gave him your hand and he lightly shook it, before going to give you a friendly hug which you very happily accepted. He smelled fantastic and you loved how his arms felt around your back.

“Have a seat, Y/n. And welcome home. Please make yourself at home and don’t hesitate asking us for anything you may need.” Brian smiled in your direction, which you gladly returned.

“Thanks, Mr. Harlow, I’m grateful for you and your family’s kindness.”

“Oh, just call me Brian.” Brian and Maggie laughed.

“Oh, you’re welcome sweetie, we love finally meeting Sophia’s best friend after all these years.” Maggie chimed in. You all comfortably had dinner and chatted about the different sightseeing options they were recommending you to do this weekend. Once you were finished, you and Sophia offered to help Maggie clean up, which she thanked but said wasn’t necessary. You and Sophia started making your way upstairs.

“Y/n.” Jack called out from the back. You tried to keep your composure and softly turned back.

“Yes, Jack?”. “Do you and Sophia want to later join Clay and I at the bar? I bought this new tequila I want to try. And well, I’m asking you cause you’re the guest. Sophia will eventually just have to do whatever you choose.” He chuckled, which sent shivers down your stomach. Fuck, the thought of drinking with Jack made you really nervous, you hoped you wouldn’t get flirty or anything.

“Oh, yes, Jack, of course. We’ll be right back down later. We’ll probably just take a short nap.”

“That’s great, Y/n.” He smiled. Sophia did not know one bit about your huge crush on her brother. What you didn’t know either, though, was that Jack had found you really fucking pretty. He had something for girls who looked like you, but you in particular mesmerized Jack, he was even starting to feel a bit nervous, which he usually didn’t. He quickly went to the bar to make sure it had everything you could need or want. He wanted you to think he was such a gentleman, which no doubt he was. He started thinking about what kind of things he could talk to you about, his mind then went to remember how your perky ass looked in those tight jeans you were wearing, he wondered how you smell. Fuck, he needed to focus if he wanted this to go well.

You and Sophia went upstairs to your room, and she quickly plopped down into the bed. It had been a long traveling day and you both were exhausted. You laid down and tried to fall asleep too, but your mind was racing.

“What did Jack think about me? I hope I made a good first impression. Fuck, he looked so damn handsome and his freshly cut curls framed his face and eyes perfectly. I wish I could touch his perfectly groomed beard. How am I going to be able to talk to him calmly downstairs?” you thought. You tried to shake off those thoughts because you knew you needed the rest if you didn’t want to fall asleep in front of Jack, which could not happen as this was your one opportunity to get his attention.

You tried to calm down and fall asleep, trying to remember there’s nothing to be scared of as you already know what you have to do. You have flirted with tons of cute guys before, especially during this past year, this shouldn’t have to be any different.

Two hours later, Jack and Clay heard your footsteps that were coming from the stairs. Jack and Clay were sitting there on the bar stools, waiting for you.

“Don’t you fucking dare trying to flirt with her. She’s mine, you understand?” Jack whispered. Clay’s heart dropped a bit. Of course, he was going to take you for himself, this always happened and Clay was tired of it. But this was no different from all the other times it had previously happened, so he gave in.

“Of course, Jack, that’s how it always goes anyway,” Clay said, rolling his eyes. You and Sophia arrived at the bar and saw them both sitting there. Jack quickly stood up.

“Y/n, do you want anything to drink? We have anything you want,” Clay immediately rolled his eyes once again. You blushed.

“Yes, Jack. Thank you so much. Can I have some tequila with mineral water and a sprinkle of lemon?”

“Yeah, of course,” he lightly smiled.

The four of you started drinking and chatting about nothing important, having fun and starting to get drunk. Sophia excused herself to the bathroom and Jack stood up to make you another glass, you followed behind him as if to help him. Jack was preparing the glass when he suddenly looked back at you, he didn’t care anymore because Sophia was not there, he was drunk, and to be fucking honest he didn’t care one bit about Clay listening and seeing.

You could feel his stare and knew he was about to say something. He handed you the glass and you thanked him.

“You are really beautiful, Y/n.” What the fuck? What was even happening? You blushed and you knew he probably noticed. Your tongue got stuck in your throat before finally being able to answer.

“Thanks so much, Jack,” he smiled in return. Jack started asking you about yourself and you felt like it was finally happening. At that point, Clay knew there was nothing else for him to do there and excused himself up the stairs. Sophia came back from the bathroom and saw the two of you having a casual conversation.

She quickly joined in as she didn’t even notice you two were flirting. You three continued on talking about random stuff and every single time you said something, you could feel Jack’s intense stare in your direction; and everytime he said something funny, you couldn’t stop giggling like an idiot and were always too worried he or Sophia would notice. This kept going on for like an hour or so, until Sophia started getting really tired and sleepy.

“I think I’m heading up to sleep, I’m really tired and today was a long day. You can stay here if you want, Y/n,” you could feel your stomach turning into knots.

“Okay, Sophia, have a good sleep. I’ll stay here for a little while,” you blushed, you couldn’t believe you were staying alone with Jack. You two kept on talking for a bit while Sophia was heading upstairs but at this point you could feel Jack’s intense stare in your eyes, he wasn’t hiding it anymore.

Once it was clear to Jack that Sophia was in her room and out of the picture, he took two steps closer to you and at this point you two were literally breathing each other’s air. He thought you would move back but was glad you didn’t. He had you, he thought.

“You said you like my music, right?” Jack began.

“Yes, I do. I like it.” Your breathing was uneasy and the proximity and eye contact were becoming very uncomfortable, you almost couldn’t breathe.

“Is that the only thing you like?” He smirked.

“What do you mean, Jack?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m telling you I don’t.”

“You never fantasized about me?”

“N-No, I didn’t. You are so full of yourself, Jack.”

“Prove it. I bet you’re so wet right now. Do I have your permission to touch you and judge for myself, pretty girl?”

“Yes,” you said while trying not to breathe and show his effect on you. He grabbed your butt, started drawing circles with his hands and started kissing down your neck. You let out a high-pitched squeal that almost sounded like a moan, and Jack smirked against your neck.

“Do you want me to stop, Y/n?”

“W-what?”

“I said, do you want me to stop?”

“No, Jack.”

“That’s what I thought, baby.” With that he started to gently suck on your neck and collarbone, your mind was getting flooded with all these thoughts, and it felt so good to know Jack was worshipping your body. He could feel you starting to breathe heavily and he immediately put his hand over your mouth.

“Let’s go up to my room, Y/n.”

“Jack, Sophia is going to hear us. And even worse, we are going to wake her up.”

“I promise she won’t, just follow me.” He held his hand out for you and you quickly took it, he interlocked your fingers with his. Your tummy was full of butterflies and you thought you were about to explode. Your heart was beating a million miles a minute. He carefully took the both of you upstairs, going step by step as quiet as you could.

Once you got to his room, he carefully opened the door with his other hand and let the two of you in. He quietly closed it.

“Jump,” he whispered. You jumped and wrapped your legs around his waist, he harshly kissed you while walking to his bed and carefully put you down on it. You couldn’t believe your wildest fantasies were coming true.

He removed his lips from yours and unhooked your bra while he looked you firmly in the eyes, your breasts came into full sight and his eyes couldn’t stop staring at them. He took one of them in his mouth and started licking and sucking.

You pressed and pinched your other breast with one hand, and at this point your head was up in the clouds. He brought his head back up and gave you the biggest smile you’ve ever seen on him. God, you loved that smile, especially seeing as it was for you and because of you. He took his head down your body and gently kissed your pooch before grabbing the sides of the band of your panties. He looked up at you as if to ask for permission, and you nodded.

That was all he needed for him to pull down your panties. Your pussy came into sight and his breath hitched in his throat, it looked really wet, and it was glistening, he swore it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He couldn’t wait to taste you. He slipped two of his fingers through your wet folds and the sound of your wetness became apparent.

“Now, do you admit it? Because I in fact made you wet,” he smugly told you, referencing his previous comments downstairs. You instantly put up a front,

“It’s not you, Jack, I’ve just been really horny this week and needed some release. It’s not personal.”

“Oh, so why don’t I just get up and send you back to Sophia’s room with no relief and all needy, not able to sleep?” He said while slowly drawing circles around your clit with his index finger.

“Don’t act like you are not dying to taste me.”

Jack rolled his eyes, “You’re such a brat, Y/n.”

“But you want me like this, though.”

“I do, baby, I do.”

You reached to unbotton his pants and he quickly stood up to remove them. He sat back down, and you palmed him through his underwear, his breath getting faster, and you were enjoying this teasing game so fucking much. You toyed with the band of his boxers, you couldn’t wait to see his cock, and he helped you slide them down. His cock coming into full sight and standing tall against his tummy.

Your eyes went wide, and you bit your bottom lip, you could only imagine how good it would feel inside you. You reached to gently hold his dick, massaging it slowly but pulled your hand away before it became too much. His eyes went back to your pussy, his eyes were wide and full of curiosity.

“Can I taste you, baby?” You were growing impatient, you didn’t answer and just went to grab his head of curls to bring it into your pussy and directed your eyesight to the back of your head, in anticipation. He thought that was the hottest thing you could do. He started giving tiny little licks to your pussy while having the tip of his nose on your clit, his nose was boucing because of his tongue movements, and you thought you were already in ecstacy when all of a sudden he entered his tongue inside your pussy while starting to suck your clit with just the right speed and pressure.

You immediately put your hand over your own mouth and started moaning as low as you could. You were working so hard to contain your moans. He was sucking you like he had been starving and you were his favorite meal in the whole world. You knew you would come in no time. You removed your hand from your mouth and quietly voiced “Jj, Jaaaack, I’m”

“I know baby, I know.” He couldn’t wait for you to cum, he needed to be inside you so he could get any kind of relief. He moaned on your pussy which got you to do the same.

“Ahhhh,” you quietly moaned and with that you came. He kept on gently and slowly sucking your pussy lips so that you could come down. Your breathing started getting back to normal and he brought his head up. He licked his lips full of your cum and tasted it, you blushed.

“First of all, you taste delicious. Second of all, I can’t wait to be inside you.” He positioned his dick on your pussy and slid it along to tease you.

“I thought you said you couldn’t wait.”

“Shut up, Y/n.” He entered you slowly, wanting you to get used to his size. You squealed due to that size.

“Are you okay, princess?” You were breathing heavily.

“Yes, I’m ready,” and with that he started pounding in and out of you.

“Ahhh, Jack, you are so big,” you were whispering in his ear, moaning. You both thought it was so hot to whisper your moans in each other’s ears only for you two to hear, to prevent them from being heard outside the room.

“Fuck, you feel so good princess.” he whispered in your ear, moaning. He looked at you and saw you had your eyes completely rolled back.

“You look so pretty wrapped around me, Y/n,” that only made you moan hard in his ear.

“You are fucking me so good baby, I’ve been fantasizing about this for almost a year now, you fucking me exactly like this, moaning my name.” You knew you would regret it, but that only turned Jack on more, and he picked up his pace, going harder, deeper, and faster.

“Oh my god, Jackkk!!!” it was almost a little too loud, just quiet enough for no one to else to hear and wake up. He quickly put your hand over you mouth, you heavily ventilating behind it.

“As much as I love to hear your pretty little moans, that will have to wait for next time when we are alone.”

“What? There will be another time?”

“Oh trust me baby, there will be many of these times, you just need to prove you do it good, though.” Oh my god, he was such a motherfucker, of course he was going to give you payback for acting like a brat earlier. You wanted to prove you could fuck him better than anyone else so you turned the both of you around so you could be on top of him, and you started riding him fast and aggresively.

“Fuck, you are so hot baby. You look so pretty riding me like this.”

“You are so fucking handsome, baby, I wish I said it back earlier. I was really nervous and didn’t want you to know. You’re the hottest man ever.” Jack responded by moaning in your ear, and you grabbed his head, pulling it closer to your ear.

“Say it again baby, whisper it to me in my ear,” Jack whispered.

“You’re the hottest man ever, you really are very sexy Jack,” you whispered. Jack went and grabbed your hips to guide you with a faster and more agressive motion, moving you up and down, hitting your sweet spot perfectly. You both knew you were really close, it wasn’t even necessary to let each other know. Just sweet low moans being whispered in each other’s ear before he quickly put his hand over your mouth as he could tell yours were starting to get more intense.

You were quietly moaning behind the palm of his hand, when you grabbed Jack’s wrist and removed his hand from your mouth.

“Fuck, right there Jack, right fucking there, oh my god,” you screamed as low as you could, you swore someone would wake up. To be honest, you weren’t even thinking straight anymore, you had never been in so much pleasure.

“Quiet, princess,” he lowly whispered into your ear. “Shh, look at me.” God, he was perfect.

“Hmmm,” you softly moaned into his ear. Seconds after that, you both immediately came at the same time. He carefully tried to sit up so that the both of you were now sitting up, and he could be in control too, and he slowly pulled in and out of you to help you come down and enjoy this up until the last second.

“I hope you know you’re mine now, princess.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s anyway.”

Instead of pulling out of you, he stayed like this and softly grabbed your face to kiss you, it was a cute and romantic kiss. Without stopping the kiss, he laid back down and embraced you in a hug, the two of you still kissing. Him inside you, you on top of him. After you got done kissing, you moved your head to the crook of his neck, staying like this for a few minutes in silence, neither of you wanting to move. It felt so good to know Jack was still inside of you, both of your cums safely kept in place inside the little cocoon you two had made. After Jack finally pulled out of you, he was the first to speak.

“Do you wanna sleep here with me, baby? I’ll wake you up early and you can go back before Sophia wakes up.” He asked while cleaning up the two of you with his nightstand wipes.

“Jack, you know I want to, but Sophia will probably wake up in the middle of the night.”

“I know she won’t, but if she does, you can always tell her you were just downstairs getting water.”

“Hmm, okay Jack, only because you’re worth it,” you blushed.

“You blushing as if we hadn’t just done the nastiest things imaginable is crazy to me.” God, that made you blush even more, making you hide inside his neck. He just laughed, holding you tight while pulling the sheets on top of you two. Seconds later, you were both fast asleep.

A/N: Ahhhh, they’re finally together 🙈🙈🙈 Lmk your thoughts everyone!! 🫣

[greenerteacups]

Hello GT, I absolutely love Lionheart!

I published my first fic and have been dealing with some criticism; it’s not anythjng super hateful, but it’s not anything meant to make me improve either. I’ve been feeling sort of down because of it. My question is: have you ever dealt with hate or criticism before? What is your attitude towards it?

I find your work and answers on here super insightful and inspiring! I hope you have a nice day ❤️

Fuck em. Like, seriously, just fuck em. There's a time and place for writers to take critique and be strict with themselves; it's necessary for any artist to grow. That place is with a chosen group of creatives whose work you admire and whose judgment you trust. A rando on the Internet, while they may in fact be the next Marcel Proust, probably isn't. And I was raised to believe that while it's appropriate and kind to pay compliments to strangers when they're performing — just as you'd smile at a busker on the sidewalk, and or compliment a chalk artist — it's not appropriate to criticize them when what they do isn't to your tastes. They're providing you with their art for free. No one forced you to read it; no one forced you to listen. If you don't like it, it costs $0 to shut the fuck up.

Also — that thing I said about artists taking critique? That assumes that you're doing this out of a desire to improve your writing, which, while noble, is not actually a thing you need to do if you're a hobby writer. I like trying to improve; it makes me feel good. But at the end of the day, I do this for fun. I do this because in my real job, I am ruthless and self-critical and try really fucking hard to do well, and you need parts of your life that Aren't Like that. You need parts of your life where you're not worrying about whether you're Doing It Right. And living without that anxiety of critique is, paradoxically, the only way you'll find the artistic courage to take risks and develop new skills. Everyone is a little bit rough around the edges to begin with. (Not saying you're a beginner — you merely said "publish," and I certainly wrote a lot of things before I started publishing! But every artist is always trying to develop new skills and techniques; in the grand scope of things, we're all beginners.) Giving someone blunt critique when they're in the beginning phases of their journey as an artist is about as helpful as screaming at your six-year-old kid because he can't swim the butterfly.

And the thing is, these people will bluster and say "well, I'm just being honest, I'm just trying to be helpful," but like: mmmmmmno, you're not! You're not. And it's disingenuous to say so. Because if you were actually trying to be helpful, you would introduce yourself, offer your skills as an editor/beta reader, and start building the relationship of trust that grounds any meaningful co-creative partnership. People do not just accept random critique that comes flying at them from the blue nowhere. And issuing it in that form is the best way to make them hostile, defensive, and unreceptive to it. Delivering harsh feedback without a context of care and support is almost sure to fail as a method of actually changing behavior, and either (1) you know that, and are doing it anyway — presumably because you want people to know how Terribly Clever and Better At Writing you are, or (2) you sincerely have never thought about the effect that context and word choice have on how other people receive your meaning.

Which tells me you are the last fucking person on the planet I want writing advice from.

[angel-calypso]

oh i need one with erik🫦 where y/n thinks he and raven have something and she gets really sad and heartbroken… (I leave the ending to you) (srry english not my first language)

i hope this is sorta what you were asking!!! i did my best 😽

Mistaken part one

i really loved writing this. but be mindful it's my first work in probably over two years since school ended for me. i tried my best so sorry if it's not up to standards i'll get back in soon. I also don't have a laptop, so this is all being typed out in my phone and edited. I'm so sorry if there's mistakes i'm trying my best i swear

erik lehnsherr x reader. not sure if there's any warnings or triggers. just a heartbroken reader for a tad. hope you all enjoy. it is part one, i'm working two jobs right now and im going to try and put out part two soon

It had been a few weeks since you moved into the mansion. Charles had invited you to stay with the team after you had helped them on a mission. You hadn't known there were other people like yourself. Mutants. You always thought it was a derogatory word, but when you had stumbled upon the team fighting some lunatic, you had seen how beautiful and powerful the word mutant could be. You were seven when your mutation appeared. It allows you to control plants, dirt, small pebbles, you could feel the Earth in your veins. Since moving in, Hank has studied you, absolutely fascinated with your mutation, as he is with all of theirs.

The first couple days, you kept to yourself. Keeping quiet during dinners, just observing and listening. occasionally someone would ask you a question. Normally Erik, who seemed to always be wanting to know more about you. He would smile at you, always ready to start a conversation. Eventually, with time, you found yourself invited to Charles' office at night, having a drink and watching him and Erik play chess. You grew incredibly fond of these nights. The three of them were laughing and talking into the late hours of the night. Sometimes you would fall asleep there, but seemed to somehow always wake up in your bed. As you grew to love those nights, you found yourself falling in love with Erik. His beautiful eyes that followed you everywhere you went, the way he would catch your eye and walk over to you every time. The morning tea and lunch picnics. You had just barely started convincing yourself that maybe, he felt the same. that maybe you had a real chance at something with him.

“you know, we outta teach you how to play darling.” Charles pulled you out of your thoughts one night. They had been in silence for a few minutes, awaiting his next move. You had been watching intently trying to balance your thoughts, the game, and if you were honest the occasional stare at Erik. The way he sat calmly in the back of his chair, holding his drink in one hand and tapping his armrest with the other. Plotting his moves. He always looked so handsome in the warm light of the office. The drinks are always getting to you, always having to stop yourself from reaching out and taking his hand.

“I'd much rather watch you two play.” You had finally pulled your eyes off of Erik to look at Charles with his knowing smile. you blushed slightly, hoping charles wasn't in your head, always forgetting of the telepath. Erik laughed unaware of the interaction between the two.

“I think y/n would have you beat Charles” Erik chimed in. You smiled, sometimes you thought he thinks too highly of you.

“Yeah right, she'd be too distracted,” Charles playfully scoffed. At this you asked if they needed another drink. She got up, noticed the bottle was left in the kitchen tonight, and walked out with hers and Erik's cup. When you came back, you noticed a new arrival had joined them for the first time. You hadn't met her yet but assumed it to be Raven, Charles’ sister. She had been on a mission for the last couple months. you would've loved meeting her, if it wasn't for the sight you walked in on leaving your heart in your stomach. Raven was hugging Erik, her legs wrapped around him. You didn't hear anything being said, the blood rushing through your ears a loud roar. But you had seen enough. You walked over to your seat. Charles knew something was off, you begged him not to be in your mind for this. you hoped he wouldn't. You didn't notice upon seeing you, Erik grew the biggest smile, almost immediately letting go of Raven and whispering to her. She also smiled, putting her hand out to you.

“you must be y/n!!! I'm Raven, I've heard so much about you. I'm so glad to meet you! “ Under other circumstances you would've loved meeting her, finally meeting charles’ sister he would always talk about. But the tinge of seeing her all over Erik tainted the meeting. You told her it was nice to meet her, sending her a small smile while shaking her hand. It wasn't her fault. You let go and hand Erik his drink.

“Thank you Meine Liebe” You would normally love and melt at this, Erik had fooled you. You just nodded your head. you were willing yourself not to cry just yet. The stinging in your eyes daring to disobey you. A few minutes go by and you excuse yourself off to bed. Before anyone could say anything you were out the door.

translations Meine liebe- My love in german

I know i know, it's pretty short. I'll work on part two as quickly as i can. Let me know if you would like to be tagged in part 2!!!

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

hi! I'm new to the beatles lore and I've been trying to catch up on an insane level of information for weeks. it's been fun but also heartbreaking 💔💔 anyways, I wanted to ask a couple of questions if that's ok? for example, I keep seeing this narrative that john was using yoko as some sort of weapon against paul... what was john trying to achieve by that I mean where does this idea even come from? according to this, john was hurting paul on purpose while he was singing him love songs in the studio asking him to be partners again (as in songwriting creative partners) WHAT WOULD JOHN ACHIEVE DOING THAT? also it sounds very one sided like paul is the most innocent in the break up eventho he was the one who came up with a secret album and a lawsuit. I don't know what to think. before knowing them I used to think lennon was in love and on drugs so he got so annoying to the point that he broke up the band but now...

Hi there! Welcome to the fandom! don't worry about feeling overwhelmed at first there is a LOT to take in.

I want to say, I do get the feeling you are somewhat mixing things up here, though I don't particularly blame you for being confused. (if not then sorry! just want to clarify as much as I can)

Tedious as it sounds, I find keeping a timeline in my mind (ideally, accurate to the month) helpful to provide some clarity regarding the breakup era specifically, so the period of 1968-1971. John's studio taunting you're referring to would have happened between mid '68 and mid '69, but Paul worked on his solo album (what I presume you meant by "his secret album", though it wasn't all that secret – John had already released solo music of his own by that point*) in late '69 and early '70. He filed a lawsuit against the others in late '70.

*I think you're conflating the album itself with the fact that, along with the release of McCartney (said album), Paul "surprise revealed" he had quit the band to the public, which the other band members, especially John, were not impressed with.

That being said, the events of the breakup are still convoluted at best, even to "seasoned" fans, I'd say. One of my main pieces of advice I can provide as someone who's been doing this for more than 3 years is get comfortable with not knowing things and with some of the actors involved doing something fundamentally irrational sometimes. They're humans, they don't always make sense and they won't always be forthcoming about why they behaved the way they did.

Which brings me to the narratives you mention: I say this as nicely as possible, but sometimes people want to tell themselves the best story rather than the most truthful one. It's more important to some that John is taunting Paul out of some twisted form of love than why specifically.

To answer your question regarding where this particular idea comes from, I would say: Paul has indicated that he felt John replaced him with Yoko (in whatever way he meant by that – some think it's sexual, some it's about creative partnership, or simply as a best friend); John's behaviour clearly and drastically shifted for the worse in mid '68, which is around the time he got together with Yoko, left his family, and started doing heroin; footage from Get Back shows John both all over Yoko and trying to reach out to Paul periodically.

There's probably more, but I don't know if there's much point in getting into the weeds of it right now. My point is: it's not the only valid theory, IMO, and probably not the whole truth if it is true, but it's not unfounded.

I think it may be a misstep to dismiss a theory because "what would John achieve by that?" Again, people are not always acting in a way that strictly makes sense, especially not people with the issues John struggled with. Some people might say John was testing Paul, trying to make him fight for him. Some might say John had an outright sadistic streak. Others that he was too out of it to notice the pain he was inflicting on others. I think it could very easily be a mix of all three. When dealing with human emotions, I personally think it's a mistake to assume things are simple and straightforward, which is why a lot of tinhattery turns me off. It very often feels like a blanket-statement self-confirming axiom, rather than a truly thoughtful and multifaceted argument.

My most condensed version of events would be: John became incredibly difficult to work with in multiple ways (including but not limited to bringing Yoko to the studio) by mid '68; Paul, for the most part, tried to accomodate him, to diminishing returns, while having his own longterm relationship fall apart and being completely in over his head running a brandnew business; Paul deals with distress by burying himself in work, the other three do not – this leads to further conflict, along with issues over creative control; the band decide they need a new manager type to help them out with their new business and provide the guidance they haven't had since Brian died; cue John wanting Klein and only Klein and massively distrusting Paul's "nepo" choice of Eastman + apparently not trusting Paul's belief that Klein was bad news; extreme resentment over money issues which are incredibly underrated by the fandom because at their core they are boring, emotionally, ensue; John decides he's "over" the band and tells the others he's out; Paul is destroyed over this (and everything that led up to it), spends months spiraling and recording his album; wanting to get this all out of the way, Paul finally breaks down and admits he's leaving the Beatles to the world and to the band itself, even though he had asked John to stay quiet about his own quitting the band months earlier; John (understandably, IMO, though I don't blame Paul exactly – this is what I mean by not everything makes perfect sense) assumes Paul is using the band breakup for PR and gets a hell of a lot angrier than he already is about the money stuff; John undergoes primal therapy which opens up about 43273289635298 wounds; John does an interview in which he spills his guts and tears down almost everyone in his life except Yoko; meanwhile more financial issues. I cannot overstate that those matter too, tumblr is just not a place where finance peeps hang out; Paul is getting more and more fed up with all of this and he, as a last resort, files a lawsuit to no longer be legally tied to the others.

I for the most part left out George and Ringo here* and I'm writing off memory here without re-checking sources, so take what I say with a massive grain of salt. My main point is that this shit is complicated and don't let people tell you it isn't.

*I'm of the opinion that John and Paul are at the center of the breakup, but they also aren't the be-all, end-all of it. But because in the end George and Ringo fell "in line" with John and you didn't ask about them, I decided to mostly leave them out.

[thatfaerieprincess]

if one more well meaning relative asks me if i have done any drawing recently i will start screaming and flip a table 🤪🙃

[the-jam-to-the-unicorn]

"Two years. We are all here 🇺🇦"

[hella1975]

Hi hella! I love love your writing and have done so for years and liked your posts but above all else I am a social media lurker at heart. But I wanted to tell you that following you for so long I’ve seen you go off to college and strike out on your own. Your self reflection and how you move through your life is so inspiring. I feel like your proud distant auntie sometimes cheering you on from afar. Growing up and going through school and into your adulthood is so confusing and frustrating and depressing sometimes but I’m a bit on the other side now and can tell you you’re doing so well. Absolutely killing it and it’s a privilege to read about. Your openness often has me reflect on my own life! I appreciate you bestie 🫶

reading this was genuinely so emotional BESTIE WHAT THE HELL

[doli-nemae]

It’s already 2023 in Ukraine, but Sweden is one hour behind so I’m not very late

This year was... Something. I don't know how to describe this year, to be honest. The only thing that I'm going to tell is that I'm grateful for all your support and that you continued to follow me even after I changed a bit content here. Thanks, folks

Was this year a fucking hell? Yes. Do I regret to live through it? No. What doesn't kill us - makes us stronger. One way or another

[damnprecious]

I keep falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole that is One Piece, I'm literally this close to starting a reread of the manga