#singing lesson discount

[kate-cosette-vocals]

Online Singing Lessons | Black Friday Deal

Schedule a lesson with me at katecosettevocals.com ! :)

[izzy-b-hands]

every time. every time without fail, that i go on a Dethklok/Brendan's music overall binge as I have been lately. I find myself looking at my guitar like. If only i knew how. if only i could do it right. I could hold her and shred and have fun making music.

alas. my skills are too lacking*

*to clarify, I struggle to read music & learn by ear, but my memory also struggles with remembering chords/finger placements/tabs so even tho i can usually hear how a song should go enough to identify notes & whatnot, and can, with enough time spent noodling, eventually recreate it on guitar. That is not conducive nor useful in actually playing and getting better at it and makes it feel like an Impossible Task lmao.

[sullyswhore]

jealous – jake sully

– jakesully!avatar x fem!avatar NSFW

summary; you were bored of jake not giving you attention, so you decided to make him jealous

note: asasknjbdhfjkfnbs yes I'm using the scene in the image bc he's js so hot,, esp when he's angry!!!! it was really late when i wrote this and i normally have bad grammar/spelling mistakes so js ignore them <;3 i will most likely be making a pt2, only if people acc like this idea tho,,,

warnings: fingering, jerking jake off (teehee), use of pet names (baby, baby girl), dom!jake, angry jake (bc he's hot when he's angry..), jake being rough, hair pulling, lmk if i've missed anything!

it were one of them nights where the clan would gather around in hometree, singing, dancing and having fun. it was the celebration of the young hunters getting their ikran's today.

even though everyone were having the time of their lives, dancing in mass crowds, laughing and joking around, you couldn't help looking like you wanted to be anywhere else but here. that was true. you did want to be anywhere else but here.

your mate had came back from hunting 3 days ago. has he slightly touched you except for a quick peck on the lips before he crashed and slept for almost a day and a half? no. you know that he were tired and probably didn't want to have sex but you had been without him for a week, and your cunt were aching for his dick, his fingers, fuck. anything but your own fingers.

jake, squatting in the middle of a circle of people, were telling his story of becoming toruk makto. you couldn't lie, each time you heard the story, you became instantly wet. you couldn't not get wet. it's not a story you hear everyday of someone in your clan riding the biggest thing in the sky and leading the na'vi to victory against the sky people.

in the whole 4 minutes you were looking at him (which felt like a decade), not once did he make eye contact with you. not once did he speak about you, look at you, search for you in the crowd of the omatikaya people.

finally getting up from where you were sitting with your friends after ignoring them as you yearned for jake's attention, you walked over to the group dancing and found someone you knew jake hated. tsu'tey.

without even saying hello, you started dancing with tsu'tey, subtly grinding against him every now and then. without even looking at your mate, you could feel a pair of eyes burning through the back of your skull. you couldn't help but let a smirk form on your face.

you faced tsu'tey, whispering in his ear, "you're a really good dancer, you should teach me some moves!" you giggled out, holding the pads of your fingers to your mouth to stop the smile overtaking your face.

now it were tsu'teys turn to come close to your face, his lips inches away from yours, "i can give you some private lessons, at a discounted price." he chuckled out.

jake couldn't help the annoyed face that had plastered over his face, his ears dropped in anger and his tail swishing side to side as he were biting his tongue back to not say something and then starting a fight with the guy he hated most.

you and tsu'tey were going back and fourth with small talk, your laughter not stopping and nothing riled jake more than another man making you laugh.

"hey. hey!" everyone's head in hometree snapped to jake who were squatting low as his loincloth dangled on the floor between his legs, "don't make me come over there." his voice were cold and demanding. you didn't want to make him really angry, just wanted to see what he would do if you answered back.

everyone's eyes in hometree were going back and fourth from you and jake, not knowing whos going to say something next. you were the first to break the silence, jakes yellow eyes piercing into yours, "you're the one who didn't want to even look at me!" you hissed out, anger taking over your body.

how dare he make you look like the bad guy in front of everyone. if he had simple just fucked you, this wouldn't be happening. jake's head dropped, a chuckle leaving as he pushed himself to be standing. he didn't utter a word, but you could tell her were pissed by the way he were walking to you.

he roughly grabbed your arm, dragging you through the people. luckily enough they were making way for toruk makto, sensing his anger as well.

"what the fuck do you think you're doing? acting like a slut infant of everyone?" he tightened his firm grip on your wrist when he said 'fuck'. you knew dancing and grinding on tsu'tey would make him angry, but you didn't know it would make him this angry.

you were still putting up a fight, trying to dig your feet into the mud below and trying to get him to release your arm, "you weren't even looking at me tonight! i dressed up hot, for you. i did my hair nice, for you. i came, for you." you huffed out.

"oh? you came for me?" he chuckled out. you couldn't help but roll your eyes at his lewd joke.

"now you're suddenly interested when i'm grinding up against another man?" your ears dropped in anger, and your tail going side to side, tempted to hit him with it.

jake tilted his head, trying to figure out what you meant by that. "don't play dumb!" you screamed out, jake's hand slamming against your mouth before dragging you further into the forest to your nest.

"i don't know what you're talking 'bout, baby girl." he caressed your cheek, his thumb trailing down to your lip and dragging your bottom lip down slightly, making it pop back up at the lack of touch from his finger.

"y-you haven't touched me in days! hell, you haven't even kissed me."

fuck, not now.

your bottom lip started shaking, eyes filling up with tears at the thought of your mate not loving you.

no that can't be true. you mated before eywa. you're just being insecure.

jake could see you were getting lost in your thoughts as you bit the inside of your cheek. his thumb wiped away the tear that fell down the apple of your cheek. you pushed his hand away, not wanting to be near him any longer as you started walking back. "i'm going back to dance," you paused, not knowing whether to test your luck, "with tsu'tey."

tsu'teys name made jake see red.

jake grabbed your arm once again, this time forcefully pushing your chest against the door of your nest. "i don't think so. we haven't even started, baby girl." he whispered in your ear, nipping at your ear and slowly trailing kisses down your neck. you could feel his erection pushed up against your ass, slowing grinding into it, causing moans to leave jakes throat.

he trailed his hand down to your throbbing cunt, pushing the loincloth to the side as his index and ring finger found it's way to your aching hole, fingering you. your hands shot up to your mouth to cover the lewd moans that were spilling from it, but it barely worked, no matter how much you tried to control it.

"nuh uh." jake removed your hand from your mouth, "acting like a slut in front of so many people tonight, thought they may as well hear you being fucking like one." his pace were only getting quicker with every second. "j-jake, inside." you begged, not wanting anyone to catch you in such a vulnerable position.

"what? my slut's trying to tell me she doesn't want to be caught looking like what she is?" he chuckled, throwing his head back as he laughed, "but you're so wet, baby girl. you're saying one thing and your body is saying another." he whispered into your ear and your whines and whimpers only got louder. "you'd love for people to see how much of a slut you are for toruk makto, wouldn't you?"

his words made you unconsciously clench on his fingers as the thought of someone seeing that you belong to jake just made you wetter.

jake pulled his fingers out of you, bringing them up to his mouth as he sucked on them. his eyes rolled back into his head as his fingers licked his fingers clean, "taste so good, baby girl. could eat you out for days." he breathed out, a smirk on his face.

your lips smashed together as your back were now against the door as jake's body pushing you against it, not leaving any room in between you both. his tongue found your mouth as his mouth swallowed the moans that had escaped from yours. both of your tails had wrapped around each other's legs, trying to pull each other closer, even though that were impossible.

jake fisted you braids, pulling your head bad, breaking the kiss, "think i don't notice you? oh, baby girl." he closed his eyes and exhaled with force, "you feel that?"

jake grabbed one of your hands, bringing it down to his erect cock, making you palm his length as your eyes were locked on his whilst his grip on your hair were still firm. whimpers left jake as he tried his best to focus on you, but his throbbing cock made it almost impossible for him to not fuck you right there.

"yeah. that's what you do to me, baby. only you do that to me."

your hand stilled on his cock for a moment, jake hands engulfed your hand as he were guiding it up and down his dick, "yeah, keep going like that, baby girl. don't stop." he moaned out, his breathe staggered every time he spoke.

you went dumb on the thought of his cock. you went dumb on the idea of being full of his bioluminescent cum and it leaking out of you, only for him to push it back inside of you. but you thank ewya for making jake have the same idea.

"shitt." jake whined out, closing his eyes to not release his load right now. you couldn't help but giggle, "maybe i should make you jealous more often."

"don't you even dare." he chuckled out, still not happy with the fact you grinded on his enemy.

[syndrossi]

Thank you for answering my question! It's fun to think about aus of your fic because your world is already so fleshed out. In a similar vein from my other question, just for fun, what would Daemon have done differently if he'd found out he had twin *girls* hidden in the Vale, as Otto would have preferred? Or a girl-boy set, for that matter?

I don't think gender would have changed much about Daemon's approach to furiously flying to claim his children. It probably would have made him much more concerned about Rhaegar's fearful reaction to him/anger. (Although, as a somewhat sad nod to the patriarchy of the time, where having twin sons makes Daemon feel far less pressure to hurry into any marriage after Rhea's death, he would be thinking about it more with "only" twin daughters.)

I'm imagining his wtf reaction to both his daughters' skills with a blade. But hey, Visenya wielded Dark Sister, why shouldn't his daughters be proficient?

I could see Daemon frantically trying to find someone to teach him all the things he needs to know to raise daughters, though the lack of girl children other than Helaena means he doesn't have a ton of options other than Rhaenys (who raised a daughter) or Rhaenyra (who had been a daughter). Maaaaybe he asks Viserys for advice, but I don't think Daemon holds him up as the best example. He would love them no less than his boy twins.

Matches would be on his mind pretty early, too. His twins would be close enough in age to Jace and Luke for that to be a very attractive option--one of his daughters would be queen consort, and the other the next lady of Driftmark. I doubt he'd want to arrange it before observing their reactions to meeting their cousins, given how unhappy his marriage had been, but once that goes off without a hitch, he'd be pursuing it for sure.

(Otto, meanwhile, would be pushing his own agenda of Viserys wedding at least one of them to either Aegon or Aemond, and given how pretty both of them are, I expect Aegon and Aemond would be plenty enthusiastic about the prospect.)

They would be expected to be in different lessons than their male cousins, of course. I could see Jon loathing learning things like needlepoint when there are kidnappers + still possibly the ticking time bomb of the Others up north and easily talking Daemon into keeping up their sword training himself. After all, if someone were to attempt to kidnap them again, better if they can defend themselves!

In the world where they're split, one a boy and one a girl, Rhaegar definitely adjusts better if he's the girl, given his own hobbies and strengths. (Reading, singing/playing the harp, and nerding out over dragons are all things that are just as acceptable for women.) His younger age at Summerhall swap time helps there too. And if you thought Jon was overprotective of his brother Rhaegar, he somehow finds a new level for twin sister Rhaegar. He would 100% aid and abet Rhaegar keeping up his weapons training. Just try to keep Jon from training with his sister.

It would be an interesting dynamic if flipped, because Jon would struggle to adjust to being dismissed/discounted the way that girls and women can be in this time, on top of being discounted already due to being a child. (Not that it would have been easy for former crown prince Rhaegar either.) The world would not see him as someone who could or should protect Rhaegar; his brother should be protecting him. He would chafe a lot more at Daemon's protectiveness too, because it further diminishes his own sense of being able to protect himself and those he loves, whereas boy!Jon in Resonant mentally pats his father on the head and carries on with his plans of protecting his brother and his father.

I'm not sure what Daemon thinks to do, marriage-wise, for them in the split gender case. I think he would still try for the Jace match for whoever was the girl, and take his time figuring out matches for the boy. There's not much point pursuing a sibling marriage for children so far removed from the succession, especially when there's a dearth of Targaryen girls for the many boys high in the line of succession to marry. (Otto pursues an Aegon or Aemond + f!twin match just as rigorously.)

[yakumtsaki]

Oh yay, our first thunder fire in the new house, wonder how long before someone dies again! Also love how you can see our old house in the background, a reminder you can run from your past but you can’t escape it. 

I am of course talking about this family’s past of semi-acceptable interactions between family numbers, because from now on is where things really go off the rails in this department. Allow me to introduce you to..

..Julian and Stacy’s daughter, Sunset Tinker-Union! (Because her parents wear pink and purple, get it? Get the name origin?) So the minute Bartholomew brought Sunset from school I knew it was over for me, as we’re now far enough removed from the other branches of the family tree that not even the extended family mod can save us from all those third cousins being fair game.. and you all know full well that if there’s one thing this family knows how to do, is be attracted to their distant cousins-

-I held out to one tiny hope that maybe Barflina will continue being socially incompetent losers and Sunset will hate them, but no, the minute a distant cousin enters the building it’s clearly time to turn up the charm. So first Bartholomew goes and smustles with Sunset, which, Barth, I didn’t know you were even like, biologically capable of having fun in any way-

-and then Felina (who I keep forgetting is SHY LOL WHAT) goes over to ADMIRE HER. BRO. I have never seen Felina do anything remotely nice her entire life, KILL ME.

But don’t worry, Sunset clearly takes after auntie June! She’s into it! She follows Barth to the toilet for no clear reason! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME

So you at this point you might be like ya ok, calm your tits, there’s no guarantee anything will even happen. To which I reply go back and read, not even the whole thing, just our college runs, and then get back to me. We’ve been knocking on semi-incest’s door since generation 1 and now we don’t even have to knock, I mean the door is wide open! FML

ANYWAY, all this to say, it’s time to extremely focus on finding these two flops non-related-to-us people to date before we fuck off to college, and this is ALL I’m gonna be doing this update- 

-Like haha oh man Cyn and Sandy are starting a rock band, there’s def jokes here, NO. NO TIME, DON’T CARE, HAVE TO AVERT DISASTER.

-Failina, hold your goddamn notebook closer so I can copy, it’s hard with my eyepatch! -It’ll be even harder when I take your other eye out!

Alright you two.. uh.. awesome kids, let’s go out! 

-Go out where. -And WHY.

So you can have fun, meet people, maybe sing some karaoke or play bowling! You’ve seen how much fun your ancestors have had as teens out and about, driving drunk, being hoes, committing various crimes, you wanna miss out on that experience? It’s even how grandma Shajar met grandma Sophie and that marriage could not be stronger!

-Ugh ok, I guess I do need to get started on the spouse hunt. -And I would like to get drunk in a different setting than our library.

Perfect! Who knows, by the end of the night, you might even be besties singing duets like Jojo and Gunther!

Oh my- WE LITERALLY JUST GOT HERE. WHAT CAN YOU TWO POSSIBLY BE FIGHTING ABOUT

-SCREW YOU, DAVID OTTOMAS IS MINE -NO, HE’S MINE, HE’S THE ONLY TEEN SIM IN THE LOT AND I HAVE SENIORITY -THE HELL YOU DO

OK LET’S GO HOME

-SCREW YOU, I WANNA OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR -THE DOOR IS MINE, YOU CAN’T EVEN DRIVE YET

OMG LITERALLY STOP. I LEARNED MY LESSON, I’M NEVER MAKING YOU INTERACT AGAIN

Once again, I’m crawling back to Lakshmi! Finally she has returned to us! As you might recall I had to deal with her understudy, Margaret, and frankly she was better than Lak at her job but it just wasn’t the same. Lakshmi and I have HISTORY. We have a deep, dark, beautiful relationship-

-I’m not giving you a discount. 

UGH FINE. Take 5k of our last money (I forgot to mention the new house somehow cost 500K, we legit have like 20k left)-

-and hit us with your best shot!

-Oh, I will! 

Ok but you’ve said that before and I’m still not over the time I paid you 5k for June and you gave us iVan. 

-No, this time I mean it! The path is clear! 

The ‘path is clear’?? The path for FELINA’S love life is clearer than it was for June the literal model-hot genius???

-Indeed!

I gotta say, Lakshmi, your mouth better not be writing checks your crystal ball can’t cash.

-It is not, I promise! 

Alright, I’m waiting, do it to us-

OH

MY

GOD

IT’S MEADOW

THEY HAVE 3 BOLTS THIS IS ALREADY HILARIOUS. LAKSHMI YOU ARE FORGIVEN FOR ALL THE SHIT YOU’VE EVER PULLED ON ME

Bro this pairing is KILLING ME. Like I get it on paper since they’re both family sims and I guess their chemistry panels and zodiacs must insanely match too, but I thought Felina would get with someone like idk. Gvaudoin? Alegra Gorey? Klara Vonderstein? Maybe the Diva or a vamp NPC? Like you know what I mean, someone that makes sense with the whole dark queen powerful dynasty blabla she has going on. But no, she’s gonna start this house Lannister bs her LTW is about with.. MEADOW THAYER. I love it so much, Felina please don’t ruin this for us!

FELINA WTF DID I JUST SAY

-Sorry, but I don’t know you well enough to accept you touching my shoulder, huhu!🌞

-But if you want to tickle me again, that’s somehow more acceptable to me despite it involving way more touching!🌞

Alright, as I suspected, not a lot going on upstairs with dear Meadow, but it’s ok, I’m just glad to have a huhuing sim around again, Cyn is like 80yo :(

Ah, the tickling of love! Good job, Fel, now we can work our way up to flirting-

-Or I can just not be a turbocuck AND GO FOR IT

Man, the Sophie genes kicked in! Good for you, Fel!

Backyard karaoke time! Seriously what song could these two possibly BOTH like, please comment or msg me your guesses. 

So at this point I’m already 100% sold on Meadow as a spouse as I don’t think it’s humanly possible to come up with a funnier pairing than what fate dropped in my lap, but I’d also like to point out that Felina is so into Meadow that she’s already rolling fears of falling out of love with her, despite not even BEING IN LOVE WITH HER YET. Family sims are a fucking trip. 

CUTE. Alright Felina, you’re set, we got it in one, semi-incest avoided, yay us. Now I’m gonna leave you to your dream date and focus on Barth-

-who is gambling by himself. Guess I don’t need to ask who’s drunk again!

-That’s one safe bet, haha! 

Good Lord. Alright, get up, let’s find you someone while Lakshmi is still here, I’m sure our amazing luck will continue-

-OH FUCK IT’S TIAVE TEENS, HE HAS THE DON BROKEN FACE THING. ABORT ABORT

Oh good there’s nothing to abort, because it turns out Bartholomew is a COMPLETE FAILURE OF A ROMANCE SIM. Observe and keep in mind THEY HAVE 3 BOLTS:

-LALALA LALALA NOT LISTENING TO YOU INSULT MY SPATULA, FUCK OFF

LOL NO @ THE NOOGIES RETURN. FUCK. So clearly Felina has grandma Sophie’s chadly genes and Bartholomew has grandma Shajar’s noogiesexuality, except he’s a romance sim with a 20 woohoo LTW. College with this guy is gonna be UNBEARABLE. 

Alright, Barth, let’s try this again, don’t be discouraged! Ignore our lack of cash!

Ignore that Felina got it right on the first try and is still on her endless dream date!

PATRICK TEENS?! LMAO. Bartholomew is so committed to going through family trees, like if it’s not gonna be his own it’s gonna be SOMEONE’S, he doesn’t care! Unlike Don-clone Tiave, Patrick is cute tho, let’s give it a try-

-Ya, let me stop you right there, buddy, not into it but best of luck in your future endeavors!

Bruh. Let’s extremely call it a night, Barth.

-Oh hi, huhu!🌸 -Hi hi, huhu!🌞 -I feel like I know you?💗

Ya Cyn, if I didn’t have photographic proof that it’s not true I’d legit think she’s your long lost daughter. Man ACTUALLY how much sense does it make that like people tend to seek out partners that remind them of their parents and Cyn was always such a maternal influence on Felina??? Holy hell this game has so many layers. 

Clearly inspired by seeing her younger self in Meadow, Cyn finally finds it in her to woohoo again after Don’s passing! It’s legitimately crazy to me how loyal she was to him in death, like I can’t get over it, she never extended that courtesy to him while he was alive!

-𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙼𝚈 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴.𝙴𝚇𝙴

It’s ok, Barth, you sleep off the romantic flopping and that tray of whiskeys and we’ll try again tomorrow.

-Ya, make sure to call us over when he ‘tries again tomorrow’ cause we don’t wanna miss it HAHA -HAHAHA boy did I screw him over by passing down my personality points! -You sure did, my little turbocuck! Let’s sleep in the same bed tonight, I can’t get into this one anyway with this flop sleeping there! -That’s what everyone is gonna be saying to him in college HAHAHA -HAHAHAHA oh Shaj, I love you, let’s work on our marriage! -I love you too, we’ll overcome our issues!

Awww, see Barth? Love wins❤️

[skyyguy]

Equine therapy au with early clegan days 🙏🏻 it’s one of Curt’s sessions and Gale’s leaned against the gate of the arena flirting with John <33

I have no idea how to flirt, so I have no idea how to write flirting but I tried lmfao

If he weren’t his own boss, Gale for sure would have been fired. As it stood, he was his own boss and this was his hippotherapy practice. 

It had started casually, that day, and then went downhill (uphill?) from there. Curt was in the big arena by this point, already up to a steady trot on his own, and so Gale was just leaning against the arena fence– totally, unintentionally, against the viewer side of the arena, an absolute coincidence, he would swear on it– watching him carefully. Normally, his clients didn’t get to ride however they wanted, but Curt was different. He’d shown a remarkable aptitude for riding and truly enjoyed it. So Gale treated him like one of his lesson riders, sometimes, and let him explore more of horseback riding than just the therapy walking-on-a-lunge-line thing. Curt seemed to appreciate it. Plus, it gave Gale time to make Bad Decisions. 

“So,” the aforementioned Bad Decision started, leaning a hip against the railing and peering at Gale, expression hopeful and open, “maybe you could help me get some boots, y’know, like yours?” John asked. 

“Cowboy boots?” Gale supplied, “sit up straighter, Curt, you’re slouching too much,” he barked at the man riding, the headset in his ear making it easier to talk, rather than shouting across the whole arena. 

“Ya, sure,” John replied, ignoring the fact that Gale was technically teaching. 

“You know you can get them just about anywhere, you don’t need a membership or nothin’.” 

“Sure, but I might get a discount if I bring a hot cowboy with me~” John sings out, loving the blush that crept in to Gale’s cheeks and ears. 

“Doubtful,” he replied, voice amused. 

“Well, then maybe I just want your opinion,” John argued. Gale shot him a side-eye, eyebrow arched. 

“You’re a smart man, you can dress yourself.” 

“You sure you don’t want to help me?” John teased. Gale’s face coloured more. 

“I’m good.” 

“Gale Cleven, are you saying you want to see me undressed?” John said, faking shock. He heard Curt bite a laugh off with a cough. Gale’s face was entirely red by now. 

“Can it over there, Curt, or you’re done,” he snapped into the mic, “and you, you know that’s not what I meant,” but it’s said in such a pleading tone that John can’t actually be sure. He smiled mischievously. 

“Is it, though?” 

“Yes,” Gale almost whines, rubbing the back of his neck. John has the sudden thought that Gale’s imagining him undressed. He pushed his tongue against his teeth, trying not to say it out loud.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you undressed,” John says, shooting his shot. The way Gale gets impossibly more red tells him all he needs to know about how that landed and he grins smugly. 

“If you’re about to start making out, please take the mic off, Gale,” Curt says in Gale’s ear from across the arena and Gale could strangle the both of them. 

“I have a student to teach,” Gale barked, shoving off the rail and practically running to the end of the arena, where Curt was currently trotting in circles, trying not to fall off the horse from laughing.

[fillingthescrapbook]

Let's Talk About: Burrow's End and Reactor Charlie

Hello, Preternatural Predators!

Holy shit. Holy shit. Spoilery shit ahead!

This feels like two wildly different episodes because of the energy and the vibes and I also cannot fathom a universe where they were halved and released separately. The events of this episode needed to happen in one sitting even though my heart is beating so quickly for two very different reasons.

Let's talk about the first act where Erika Ishii is MVP for being the most no-fucks-to-give grandma. Just casually strolling up to one of the bigwigs and straight up talking to them like they're equals. May we all have the confidence of Ava and her four winters of age.

I loved the reactions Brennan, Rashawn, and Jasper were exhibiting throughout. Truly children of a parent who not just has their foot in their mouth--but their whole legs as well.

Jaysohn and Lila getting the family into trouble and facing consequences for their actions feels like a natural progression--but god damn if I didn't have the sweats throughout the entirety of it. Siobhan and Izzy are truly delivering one of the most consistently amazing portrayals of pre-teens.

Also--Viola and Thorn? Couple goals. Tula? Fucking scary. And Brennan Lee Mulligan with those dice? Even as a player, he truly knows how to make those click clacks sound menacing.

And then we get to the second part. And the map. Holy shit. Aabria Iyengar, you mad woman. Rick Perry, you mad man. The art department is truly comprised of geniuses. (And I have been remiss in shouting out the make-up and styling department, but they have been delivering every single episode too.) Holy shit.

My adrenaline is still through the roof because of that second half. And I'm naming Jasper William Cartwright as a second MVP this episode. Mostly because of what happens after the map is revealed--but also because of the stuff he did prior. But the Box of Doom moment really solidified my case for having two MVPs this episode. (Again, not discounting all the other players. They're all great. But some actions and decisions just elevate the experience of the episode for me.)

This episode is high octane. Big ups to everyone.

Now for stray thoughts and stray screen captures:

Was "don't be suspicious" a thing on TikTok when this was filmed? I know of the meme because of Tumblr. And I loved that the gang was immediately singing the song--because I was singing it too!

Acorn hat!

The lesson is this: everything new is bad. For a while.

And--

[mariacallous]

Filmmaking can be a grueling process, and Allen has settled upon an alternative business model that serves the interests of all involved. The limited time and effort that he expects not only of himself but of his cast surely helps him continue to attract topflight talent to his films, despite paying his actors just over the Screen Actors Guild minimum. He is one of the few genuine household names—and internationally recognized figures—working in cinema, and appearing in one of his movies checks off a useful career box. Especially for younger actresses eager to signal their desire to work with serious material, the experience is an ideal credential. Think of Scarlett Johansson (who appeared in three Woody Allen pictures from 2005 to 2008) and Emma Stone (who was in two in 2014 and 2015, including Irrational Man).

The minimal commitment that appearing in an Allen film entails is a highly relevant consideration for a time-strapped actor. Lax himself notes the contrast with Mike Leigh—another director of small, art-house films—who rehearses his actors for weeks before shooting even starts. For Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, Stone and her co-star, Ryan Gosling, rehearsed for four months before the cameras rolled. Among other chores, they practiced singing, dancing, and, in Gosling’s case, piano. The fact that Stone’s Irrational Man character plays piano is less central to that movie’s plot, but Allen didn’t expect her even to fake it. He simply shot her recital with the piano blocking her hands. Similarly, in Match Point, Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a retired tennis pro who once almost beat Andre Agassi. But the scenes of him on court give every indication that tennis lessons were not required. He looks as though he’s never lifted a racket before in his life.

Such shortcuts result in a feedback loop of cinematic prestige: Allen is considered an important director in part because so many big stars still want to work with him. Meanwhile, his perceived importance as a director draws those stars for the short period it will take to film a movie and acquire their Allen credential. The accumulated prestige also rubs off on his investors, some of whom have even gotten bit parts. And their risk of a financial loss is low. Allen’s films almost always recoup their modest budgets—here, the actors’ willingness to work at a deep discount is essential—and now and then one strikes gold. (Midnight in Paris made more than $150 million on a $17 million budget.) The fact that so few of them wind up being any good barely enters into the director-actor-investor equation.

[buzzheadchick]

From my viewing of the show, I think lots of stuff in the DHMIS series, both web and TV versions, are meant to be metaphorical. That being said, I don’t think all those metaphors are connected, and I have no clue which (if any) are connected to deeper lore.

Like, I think the “puppets + singing anthropomorphic creatures + teaching lessons” is supposed to be at the very least inspired by children’s entertainment mediums, if not fully an attempt to emulate them. But I don’t know to what end. I may not like MatPat or his theories, but it being a commentary on the children’s programming isn’t totally out of the picture. An afterlife that mimics kids’ shows in a failed attempt to comfort a dead child? Idk, maybe. Or maybe it’s a simulation, or a dream. Maybe it was thought up by a child, or an adult missing childhood, or a parent missing their child. Maybe more than one of these options! Or maybe none.

But there are so many other metaphors I see. Each episode’s primary topic and how it’s taught, I see metaphors for common life situations. Also smaller things.

Yellow Guy getting new batteries feel like a struggling person finally getting proper medication or accommodation in a way that helps them feel much better and take more agency for themselves, but the people around them don’t like the change.

Stain Edwards’ enthusiasm being met with cynicism, poor explanations, and outright rejection reminded me very much of a child in a restrictive environment. They’re punished for natural curiosity and even joy.

The elevator “therapist” is the medicalization of poor living and working conditions, opting as a society to give coping mechanisms for stress rather than fixing the inherently flawed and infuriating parts of our system. It’s the option to give someone a pill so they don’t feel so bad about living in a corporate hellscape Though I’ll admit, I don’t really know what the Care Hound is. Tbh I’m tempted to think that part is more of a surface-level spooky thing than a metaphor.

The Twins’ “family” trying to get Yellow Guy to be the mother just so they can get the family discount on chicken reminds me of how forced to conform to heteronormative and patriarchal family structures they may not want because our system economically rewards such structures.

Obviously, not all of these metaphors can line up with other parts of the story. But it is interesting to me, and I think trying to parse out the intentional metaphors, even isolated ones, can help us discern the creator’s intent in terms of overarching themes.

[rockislandadultreads]

More Book Club Recommendations: Immigrant Experiences

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

This remarkable story brings you deep into the lives of a group of friends--young women of color growing up in Queens, New York City's most vibrant and eclectic borough. Here, streets echo with languages from all over the globe, subways rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom and topple across sidewalks, and the briny scent of the ocean wafts from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life--or so they vow.

Exuberant and wild, they sing Mariah Carey at the tops of their lungs and roam the streets of The City That Never Sleeps, pine for crushes who pay them no mind--and break the hearts of those who do--all the while trying to heed their mothers' commands to be dutiful daughters, obedient young women. As they age, however, their paths diverge and rifts form between them, as some choose to remain on familiar streets, while others find themselves ascending in the world, drawn to the allure of other skylines, careers, and lovers, beckoned by existences foreign and seemingly at odds with their humble roots.

In musical, evocative prose, Brown Girls illustrates a collective portrait of childhood, motherhood, and beyond, and is an unflinching exploration of race, class, and marginalization in America. It is an account of the forces that bind friends to one another, their families, and communities, and is a powerful depiction of women of color attempting to forge their place in the world.

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala

On the surface, Niru leads a charmed life. Raised by two attentive parents in Washington, D.C., he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school. Bound for Harvard in the fall, his prospects are bright. But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. No one knows except Meredith, his best friend, the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him.

When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. Coping with troubles of her own, however, Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him. As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

It is 1995, and Anvar Faris is a restless, rebellious, and sharp-tongued boy doing his best to grow up in Karachi, Pakistan. As fundamentalists in the government become increasingly strident and the zealots next door start roaming the streets in gangs to help make Islam great again, his family decides, not quite unanimously, to start life over in California. The irony is not lost on Anvar that in America, his deeply devout mother and his model-Muslim brother are the ones who fit right in with the tightly knit and gossipy Desi community. Anvar wants more.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, Safwa, a young girl suffocating in war-torn Baghdad with her grief-stricken, conservative father will find a very different and far more dangerous path to America. These two narratives are intrinsically linked, and when their worlds come together, the fates of two remarkably different people intertwine and set off a series of events that rock their whole community to its core.

The Bad Muslim Discount is an irreverent, dramatic, and often hysterically funny debut novel by an amazing new voice. With deep insight, warmth, and an irreverent sense of humor, Syed Masood examines quirky and intense familial relationships, arranged marriage, Islamic identity, and how to live together in modern America.

[sunnymegatron]

Lessons from the BDSM Leather Community with Mollena Williams-Haas - Ep 203

  Mollena Williams-Haas, a.k.a. The Kink Doula, is back to serve up a slice of community healing. As a BDSM Leather community veteran and legend, Mollena understands the challenges of living your truth when it falls outside of the alt-sex status quo. In this convo, she shares how her rocky relationship with a community she once loved transformed into an unexpected journey of healing and growth. And, in true Mollena fashion, the insights she gleaned from this transformative, powerful experience are life lessons we can all benefit from, no matter our chosen community or family. This is part one of our two-episode extended conversation.

  Mollena Williams-Haas Bio

Mollena is an NYC-born and raised writer, actress, BDSM Educator, Storyteller, sobriety fiend since March 2007, and Award-Winning Executive Pervert. Owned and collared by renowned contemporary composer Georg Friedrich Haas since 2013, she serves as his beloved slave, submissive, wife, servant, and Muse. February 2016 saw a groundbreaking piece about their relationship featured in the New York Times.

Active in the Leather community since 1996 and teaching since 1998, Mollena's viewpoints on Kink-related issues are frequently sought after by sources like The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Newsweek, Essence, Ebony, etc. She is a frequent guest expert on Dan Savage’s “Savage Lovecast,” Tristan Taormino’s “Sex Out Loud”, and Margaret Cho’s “Monsters of Talk” podcast. She’s even spoken about Kink at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

Molena is also a leather titleholder– International Ms Leather 2010 and Ms. San Francisco Leather 2009. She’s the co-author of the “Toybag Guide: Taboo Play.” and “Playing Well With Others: Your Guide to Discovering, Exploring and Navigating the Kink, Leather and BDSM Communities”. 

A professional stage performer since the age of 5, Mollena’s credits include singing on the soundtrack for The Wiz and co-starring with Danny Bonaduce in underground cult-classic America’s Deadliest Home Video. Her short film, IMPACT, won the “Cinekink’s Best Experimental Film" Award. Mollena’s latest performance piece is Hyena, a collaboration with her husband. They are also both the subject of the documentary The Artist and The Pervert. Mollena also appeared on Sex with Sunny Megatron on Showtime. Her latest endeavor is The Kink Doula.

Mollena's Full Bio: http://www.mollena.com/about/ 

Episode 203 Helpful Links & Resources

All That and Mo, Podcast hosted by Mollena Lee Williams Haas https://allthatandmo.com/

Kink Doula https://kinkdoula.com/ 

Mollena Lee Williams Haas Website http://www.mollena.com/

Mollena Lee Williams Haas Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mollena

Mollena Lee Williams Haas Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mollena_lee_williams_haas/

Mollena Lee Williams Haas Twitter https://twitter.com/mollena

Mollena Lee Williams Haas Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MollenaLeeWilliamsHaas

Mollena on RISK! Episode 442 “Slave” https://soundcloud.com/riskshow/slave-by-mollena-williams-from-episode-442-slave

Hyena Teaser Trailer https://youtu.be/UrAJji7qdwk

The Artist and the Pervert Trailer https://youtu.be/ko_6bGeADGU

The Artist and the Pervert Documentary on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Pervert-Georg-Friedrich-Haas/dp/B08NC5C1PK

The Restrict Act Bill S. 686 https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686/text 

ResistBot  https://resist.bot/petitions

Find & Contact your Legislators https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s686/comment 

Chat GPT https://chat.openai.com/chat 

Sunny’s Free Kink Negotiation & Scene Planning Mini-Workbook https://sunnymegatron.gumroad.com/l/negotiationwb

Sunny Megatron TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@sunnymegatron

American Sex Podcast Discord Community http://bit.ly/discordasp

American Sex Podcast Patreon http://patreon.com/americansex

 Episode 203 Sponsors & Discount Codes

*by using our links & codes you can help support our work while saving a few bucks too—win/win!

30-day free trial of Dipsea Stories when you use code SUNNY at http://dipseastories.com/sunny 

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–To support American Sex Podcast/Sunny Megatron & help offset the cost of providing no-charge education: http://patreon.com/americansex  

  Check out our latest episode!

[nakamuso]

The (former) Mr. Takagi is a natural singer.

I think I saw a female comedian like this. Volume 16 of "The (Former) Mr. Takagi, the Master of Teasing" was recently released.

The main story is already in volume 18, so it looks like we will soon catch up with it. The cover is always the same composition as the main story, but I wonder what will happen if we overtake it.

reference：Shogakukan Comics URL：https://shogakukan-comic.jp/book?isbn=9784098511709

Da Vinci Web has reviewed "Mr. Takagi the Teasing Teacher" several times, and two of them were recently released to commemorate the movie adaptation.

Here are the top 5 "teasing methods" that made our hearts flutter!

The biggest mystery in "Mr. Takagi the Teasing Friend": "What did Mr. Takagi fall in love with Nishikata? The biggest mystery of "Mr. Takagi, the teasing Mr. Takagi" "What did Mr. Takagi fall in love with Nishikata?

（I don't think I've ever written about Mr. Takagi before, but I've read the book.

Like the main story, it is a very kind world. There are no malicious people. I want to move to such a peaceful town, but where is it?

Even in volume 16, the Nishikata family is as peaceful as ever. My personal favorite in this collection is "Guess the Price".

Takagi-san says, "I bought a knit I was interested in because it was on sale at a discount. We put on a fashion show in your house. He then asks Nishikata and Chie to guess how much it costs. The unique knit pattern looks expensive. It looks like some kind of brand. As Nishikata stared at the knitwear, Mr. Takagi said, "I'm embarrassed," and quickly hid his body. I have never seen such a "quick" movement in the movie. I have never seen such a mischievous move in the film.

The line, "I might be embarrassed if you look at my body like that…" might remind me of some female comedian, but I can't find her name. I feel like there was someone with this kind of artistic style, but maybe I'm imagining things. In the end, the knitwear cost 4,000 yen, and the punch line was, "I'm glad you got to see so many cute Takagi-san while you were guessing the price, Nishikata. I am happy.

Singing is something you practice, isn't it? And I also like 'singing'.

In the bath, I sing in high spirits. But I'm not very good at it. Apparently, he takes private lessons from his teacher even in kindergarten. When Nishikata sings with him, he gets stuck and can't sing well. But Mr. Takagi sums it up peacefully by saying, "I like both of their songs.

By the way, didn't you think that good singers are born good? I thought so. About eight years ago, I interviewed Maya Sakura, who was very popular as a chibi enka singer.

reference：Sakuramaya Official Website URL：https://sakuramaya.jp/

I don't remember the theme of the interview, but after the interview was over, we got into a chatting session, and we suddenly talked about her singing practice. I asked her, "How do you get good at singing?" I asked, "How do you get good at singing?" and Maya told me, "You have to practice a lot," which really made me think, "What? I said in my mind, but not in my mouth, "I practice a lot. It was the first time in my life that I realized that singing is something to be practiced.

Everyone has that kind of belief, don't they? I think so. Whenever I see Sakura-san on TV, I always remember this conversation. If I hadn't asked Sakura-san, I would have lived my whole life believing that people who are good singers are born that way. Thank you Sakura-san, I heard that you are going to appear on the July 2nd episode of "Nikaen no Doukou? on July 2, so I will definitely check it out.

[julien5-malfunction]

01022024 (evening) SUSHI!!! 🍣🍣🍙

Omg, I feel like some thing/one is throwing some nice things at me, today feels like I won the lottery.

Today was fucking insane.

I had a therapy appointment. THAT LASTED LIKE TWO HOURS. She was like 'eh, you are the last patient for today so it's ok if it goes a little overtime. TWO HOURS.

She/ we made some phone calls. THE SOCIAL WORKER PICKED UP (SHE IS KNOWN FOR NOT DOING THAT). They are arrangeing a meeting for the rehab thing, and switching the bureaucracy stuff to a different support/care provider. I was kinda held at gunpoint to make the decision to stay with the current one or switch to a different one. I pretty much just said 'fuck it, I'm bored with my life let's mix it up.' and that moved forward instantly. Things never do that on my case, I've had to wait for things for ages and ages, it's insane, like there was always a 5km line to pay groceries. I'm mind blown.

The therapist broke her Harry Potter quill pen and she gave it to me, but I'm gonna repair it and give it back. I have enough pens allready and I'm not a Harry Potter fan so I don't care to have it. The ink is nice tho, I'll see if I have some other pen with a compatable ink tube to put in so she can write with it again.

Hmm.

I visited this little help-centre type thing too. (the name of it translated to 'directory' or 'cockpit'. I think Directory is better since they direct people) As it had recently moved to a new building. Apparently I'm considered a frequent customer, as they gave me a special card that they only hand out to frequent folk there. The card is pretty cool, I haven't read the leaflet about it yet, but the lady explained that I can use it to go to places for free, for example the swimming pools, gym, museums, art gallerys, concerts too. I can even take up one course in the civic college FOR FREE.

(LIKE OOOH BBY It's gonna be hard to choose just one, they have so many interesting things in there. But the wirst ones were BASS LESSONS OR MAYBE SINGING LESSONS???????? I wonder if there is one for like METAL focused one aka how to fucking scream but actually do it right.

or some freaking. Mongolian throat singing???(I'm serious)

AAH and then I was walking home and went to a super market on the way bc there are no treats at home and was craving something sweet. And they have like this japanese guy there, who makes sushi and you can get little boxes of sushi. There used to be a buffet tyoe thing too where you could pick the ones you wanted, idk if it's still there bc the virus and stuff. BUT ANYWAY the sushi is kinda expencive so I never get myself any(👉👈), but they had some on -50% discount so I got a box for about 4 €.

🥺

I ate almost all of them (I was hungry), but there are few left for tomorrow. There are ones with grilled salmon and sauce, those seem to be the popular favourite and I like them a lot as well, but the one with tuna paste or just the salmon are pretty good too.

(I'll count my K-16 dreams on this list as well, it still has me going in high gear...)

(I think I drafted the post about that in the morning, had to go to the therapy, I'll finish it in a moment...)

[joeloverture]

a lesson in condom sense | dbf!j.m. x f!reader

masterlist pairing: dbf!joel miller x sex shop employee!reader summary: [no outbreak] the last customer you expect to be waltzing into your secret day job is your dad's best friend. you can only fight the tension between you two for so long before giving in. warnings: (18+ mdni) what it says on the can: reader works at an adult store, many sex toys referenced (& used!), age gap (mid 20s/early 50s) brief mention of sex work, don't follow reader's example, joel buys a fleshlight, joel fantasizes about you, brief mention of bondage, mostly pwp, reader humps a chair + gets caught doing it, mild exhibitionism, 'just the tip' that leads into unprotected piv, creampie, oral (f!receiving), vaginal fingering, joel uses a vibrator on reader, degradation, praise, soft dom!joel, pet names, aftercare [no use of y/n] word count: 6.5k a/n: condom sense is, in fact, a real sex shop that exists and serves the DFW metro area, so not exactly austin, but the name was too perfect not to pretend. unlike these two, please favor condom sense and wrap it up. dbf sex shop joel won the poll for my next wip, but expect coach!joel pt. 2 to be right around the corner.

Admittedly, working at a sex shop isn’t the highest point in your life, but it certainly isn’t the lowest, either. The 40% off employee discount does soften the blow of lying through your teeth at cookouts. Saying you’re working at Walmart while trying to navigate a competitive job market goes over better than saying you work at Condom Sense.

All things considered, it’s not the worst place you’ve worked. Your manager, a 60-year-old stuck in the 70s named Sally, is much more lenient than your past bosses. You get to recommend toys to the girls that come through, and you also get the satisfaction of them coming back to sing your praises. Condom Sense never would’ve been your first choice of work right out of college, but now you almost mourn the day you’ll have to leave.

Thumbing through an old issue of Cosmopolitan, your bubblegum is beginning to lose its flavor. The tinny noise of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” purrs out of the ancient radio sitting alongside tentacle dildos. It’s still a little weird to have a constant audience of whips, handcuffs, vibrators, fleshlights, and everything in between, but since your bedside drawer has gotten fuller with every shift you take, you really can’t judge anything stocked here.

The later shifts are normally slower, especially this close to 11:00. Sometimes there’s a gaggle of sex workers outside of the door, dressed skimpily no matter how biting the rare Texas cold is, but that isn’t the case tonight – you’re the only one here, feet kicked up on a pink stool.

As if the world has it out for you, the rust-eaten bell lets out a metallic jingle, and you can’t help but roll your eyes at the thought of having to put your Cosmopolitan away. Who the hell comes into a sex shop twenty minutes before close? Someone whose vibrator gave out on them, someone who needs lube, or both.

“Welcome to Condom Sense,” you put on your customer service voice, reluctantly bouncing off of the stool. You flip your magazine shut and toss it onto the counter, breaking into a crouch to finally make yourself useful by restocking the condom display. “Let me know if you need anything.”

A small grunt comes in response, and then some heavy footsteps carry through the store. Great, even better, you think to yourself, it’s a man.

The crowd that’s attracted to Condom Sense is mostly college-aged or middle-aged women, not with too much wiggle room in between. It’s Texas, after all, where ownership of more than six dildos is “prohibited”. Sometimes there’s a stray overeager boyfriend or creep with a receding hairline, but normally Sally is right around the corner to tell anyone out of line to scram, waving around a broom as if trying to fend off a stray dog. That’s not the case tonight.

You hold your breath and keep putting boxes of Trojans into the glass display case. Whoever’s in here is quiet, at least, not the type to ask for help or make too much of a ruckus with knocking shelving units over. Hopefully you can get him checked out quickly so you can close up and head home.

You stay like that for five minutes, sorting through boxes and marking stock until a throat clears in front of the counter.

Jolting up, you smooth out the wrinkles in your clothes, fiddling with your nametag. “Hi, yes, you all seeeee-”

Who the hell comes into a sex shop twenty minutes before close? Apparently Joel Miller does. You know, your dad’s best friend.

Maybe it’s because you’re surrounded by phallic dildos, maybe it’s because you’re goddamn stupid, but Mr. Miller, who seems to be fresh off of a worksite, looks good. Even though there’s an unmistakable surprise stricken across his brown eyes and a splotch of dirt on the slice of neck above his flannel collar, his hair is mussed perfectly, his scruff tamed along his jawline. Your eyes flash down to what he’s holding: a fleshlight.

You hate how quickly your mouth goes dry at the thought of Joel himself thrusting desperately into the dumb toy, and worse is the thought of him using your cunt to get off instead. You’re quick to remind yourself. Off. Limits. First of all, you don’t fuck customers. And you definitely don’t fuck customers that are your dad’s best friend.

Joel’s fist tightens around the box as if trying to obscure what you already know. His face is redder than you’ve ever seen it, cheeks like apples. In the end, it’s him who speaks first. “This ain’t a Walmart, hun.”

Your face heats up, and you shrug. “Pays well.”

“Can’t blame ya there,” he nods along. “‘S been a while. You alright?”

“I mean, I work at a store called Condom Sense. What do you figure?”

“C’mon now, can’t be that bad,” Joel grins at you.

“It isn’t,” you concede. You look him up and down again, trying really hard not to spend too much time on the toy in his hand. “Long day… contracting?”

Joel lets out a long, winded sigh through his teeth. “Yeah… my guys fucked up our concrete job. Had us there two hours longer than we were s’posed to be. Probably gonna be another long one tomorrow.” He runs a hand back through his already disheveled hair, his nose flaring. “Not your problem though, sweetness.” His eyes flick over you, over the counter and the neon signs behind you. “Your daddy know you work here?”

You freeze, eyes widening. “He’d have a cow, Joel. And if you think you’re about to hold this over my head or somethin-”

“Woah, woah, now when did I ever say any ‘a that? That’s none of my business, hun. You’re an adult, as long as you're gettin’ paid and you’re comfortable? I don’t see the issue.”

You nod, heart slowing to a steadier pace, or at least as steady of a pace as it can manage with Joel standing on the other side of the counter holding a fleshlight. “So, uh, relaxing night in or…?” You swallow hard. Professionalism, you remind yourself.

Joel laughs, an almost nervous sound as he rubs the back of his neck. “Just… a bit dry lately, I guess.”

“First time buying?” you ask with a raised brow.

“That obvious?” He slowly slides the box across the counter to you, and you inspect it under the fluorescents.

You hum under your breath, tilting the box away from you to get a better look. “Not a bad first choice. I’ve heard good things. Since it’s your first time, are you more of a spit-in-your-hand kind of guy, or do you have some massage oil or lube?”

Joel stares at you, almost sputtering as his lips try to form words. “What?”

You shake your head, veins suddenly iced over. “Shit, sorry, I shouldn’t be asking-”

“No, no, not a problem, sweetheart. It’s your job. Just… don’t expect to be hearin’... that from you.” He chuckles, but it sounds strangled. “I… normally spit. ‘S faster.”

Joel, desperately shucking off his belt and pants, pulling his hardened cock out, spitting into his hand so he can wrap his fist around himself. That first groan of pleasure he lets out, hand moving up, down, up, down. He treasures his alone time so much that he has to be the type to savor it– but you can’t think that far. Your tongue darts out to swipe along your lower lip, and you swear Joel tracks the movement. Your chest is tied up in knots.

“Well, you’re gonna want a heating massage oil. Moves it along easier, feels realer, y’know?” You reach across the counter and pluck a blue bottle from the display. “This is our bestseller.” Mustering up the most casual smile you can give him without wincing, you tap your fingers along the countertop.

Joel looks between you and the bottle, gnawing nervously at the inside of his cheek. “Thanks, hun. That’ll be it, then.”

You ring him up, sinking the fleshlight, the oil, and a complimentary toy cleaner deep into a bag that says THANK YOU four times along the side. The printer buzzes as it spits out his receipt, and you hand it all to him. He gives you a nod, casual, simple. You could keep it that way, a tiny interaction isolated to the four walls of Condom Sense, but you feel the words knocking at the backs of your teeth.

You’re saying them before you can second guess them: “Enjoy yourself, Joel.”

He makes eye contact for what must be the first time that night, eyes murky with something that, if you were more gullible, could come across as want. “I will, sweetheart.” Joel nods, wrapping a large hand around the bag. You don’t watch him leave, but you do hear the ring of the doorbell as the door knocks shut. It’s not enough to distract yourself from thinking of what his moans sound like.

Joel sweats like a whore in church the next time your dad calls him. He practically is one when he thinks about what it’d be like to be inside of the divinity of your body, a rosary of sweat collecting on his neck. He’d say every prayer if it meant he got to keep thinking of you like that – feels realer, a spit-in-your-hand kind of guy, enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself.

It’s shameful, the way he thinks of you, the daughter of the man he considers his best friend. But he can’t make himself stop. Every time he pulls the fleshlight out of his drawer, you appear in his head. Sometimes you’re bent over the counter, whining as he rolls his hips into yours. Sometimes he rucks up those fucking skirts you wear to shove his face between your thighs, lets you soak his face as you pull his hair. Sometimes you’re riding him, moving how he shifts the fleshlight over his leaking cock.

Every time, regardless of what he imagines, he shakes himself loose in post-orgasm bliss, guilt chewing at his stomach. Every time he passes Condom Sense on the way to a job, he wonders if you’re working. What’s a respectable amount of time to stop in for a second sex toy purchase? Joel wouldn't know, and he doesn’t want to be selfish. Money doesn’t grow on trees, unlike his arousal. The fleshlight is already miles better than his own hand, and he worries what he might say if he sees you bouncing around, say, restocking dildos.

He manages to keep his self control. He doesn’t get on his knees and confess his sins to your dad on the phone, or when they run into each other at home depot. By some miracle, he doesn’t get any further than flicking his turn signal before immediately turning it off when he passes Condom Sense.

And then he has the dream.

It’s his day off, a Sunday, and he wakes up to his dick softening and his cum drying on his abdomen and all of the hair spattered there. There’s traces of the dream in reach, tugging on the harness he’d tied around your body to pull you back on his cock.

This time, he can’t shake himself loose.

He’s standing in Condom Sense by ten in the morning, running his hands down his sides and feeling oddly exposed, as if every camera or wandering employee can see the shame painted on his skin much like his cum had been. He hopes you’re not here; he’s not sure he can handle it, but he is sure of the arousal that would brim in his lower belly at the mere sight of you. It’s bad news – everything about this is bad news.

You’re bad for Joel, and you have been ever since he saw you for the first time after your college graduation, partying in your old man’s living room. Four shots deep and a feather boa around your neck, wearing a low-cut top as you scream-sung Dolly Parton into the busted karaoke machine from your childhood. That was the first time he ever saw you as anything more than your dad’s little girl. It should’ve been the last, too.

Joel takes a relieved breath when there’s no immediate sign of you in the store, but you very well could be squatting behind the counter like last time. There's a woman in a pink polo shirt with bangle bracelets standing over by the wall of ropes, reorganizing and sucking on her teeth. 

He doesn’t even know what he’s here for – he’s chasing something he can’t have, or at least a semblance of it. The obvious choice is the restraints from his dream, but he has nobody to put them on, no skin to feather with kisses as he pulls them secure. Another fleshlight would be greedy.

And then he hears it. The unmistakable sound of your voice, a shockwave to his chest. He slips behind a display, almost ready to make a beeline for the door when you say, “We restocked the wands.” Joel glimpses you through the grid of butt plugs he’s hiding behind, where you’re waving around a rectangular white box. “You were asking for recommendations, right? Well, this one’s a trooper.”

“That so?” your co-worker clicks. “Might be too intense for me. You’re known to be an overachiever.”

“No shame in a little overstimulation,” you shrug.

Joel slams a fist on his chest to stop himself from hacking out a surprised cough. His thighs go hot, a warmth that spreads between them and tightens his pants as he thinks about you with a wand to your glossy clit, hips squirming for more and less all the same.

“Yeah, for you. I’d be bawlin’ into my pillow in two minutes.”

“It’s my favorite! Only just gave out on me yesterday… had her for years, though. My old faithful. Have to say, it’s a little rough waiting for my next paycheck. Nothing else does it for me. Feels fucking incredible.”

Joel walks out. Not because he wants to, but because if he doesn’t, he won’t be able to stop himself from spending almost a hundred dollars on that wand and handing it to you in broad daylight. It occurs to him on the uncomfortable drive home, hard and throbbing between his legs, that he wants to be the source of your pleasure, to make you feel good.

It’s a damning thought for a man like him, but not damning enough.

Pent up is one way to describe the way you’re feeling.

After the unfortunate passing of your trustworthy wand, your fingers nor the rest of your collection of comparably wimpy toys, have been able to do the trick for you. And the worst part of it all? Your paycheck is still three days away.

You’d like to say not getting off in four days is the source of all of your arousal, but you’re not a liar. At least, not to yourself, because you wouldn’t stand at the podium and confess your nastiest Joel-centered fantasies to his face. It’d been bearable when it was only him fucking the fleshlight taped to the backs of your eyelids. You blame it on the pervy part of yourself that’s always rubbed her thighs together from watching a man get himself off. It’s no longer bearable when you start envisioning him moaning your name while he rocks his hips into the toy, chasing his release.

No, it’s not bearable at all.

Sitting behind the same counter you’d checked him out at makes it worse, roughly the same hour of the night that he’d popped in the other day. You keep thinking of how he looked at you, first caught like a deer in headlights, then almost shy, a word you’d never once use to describe the man you’d come to know as your dad’s best friend.

An even more pervy part of yourself, the same one that hopes he thinks of fucking you when he fucks his recent purchase, slowly rolls her hips into the stool. It’s imperceptible, not something that has a chance of being picked up by the camera. You grind your clothed, needy pussy onto the pink vinyl cover, smothering a whimper into your fist. The seam of your shorts catches on your clit, snuggled between your folds. Your arousal clings to the gusset of your drenched panties. Pleasure spools in your stomach, winding around your cunt and spine. 

You curl in on yourself, burying your head into your folded arms and panting as you grind on the stool. You let yourself pretend it’s Joel’s lap; the mound-like shape of the foam beneath isn’t at all close to what Joel’s bulge must feel like, but with every press of your hips, it matters less and less.

The taboo of it all, knowing you’ll have to go into the security system and delete the footage once you’re done soaking the vinyl, being in view of the unlocked door, is doing just as much for you as your vibrator back home would. So much so that with your head tipped low, your eyes squeezed shut, and your hips canting back and forth, you don’t even notice the rusted rasp of the bell above the door.

You don’t notice a damn thing until a strangled sound comes from the front of the store.

Your head snaps up so fast that you go toppling off of the back of the chair, just barely able to catch and prop yourself up on a shelf behind the counter. An embarrassed cough knocks its way out of your gut. Too taboo. You’re still panting when you’re stricken by a passing thought: you’re definitely going to lose your job, the last one this part of Austin seemed to have to offer. Shit.

Your dignity on the other hand is long gone, somewhere in the smear of arousal you left on the stool. “Sorry – fuck! I’m sorry,” you blurt out in a last-ditch effort to keep your job, fingers crossed that it’s someone who understands or at least doesn’t care.

When you look up, you get none of that. For the second time this week, you get Joel Miller. Joel Miller with his messed up hair and work-worn hands, slack jaw and rapid blinking.

You must be matching his expression now, mouth opening and closing with your eyes widened in the ultimate form of disbelief. Your head bows and your chin meets your chest. Apparently it wasn’t enough for your dad’s best friend to buy a fleshlight from you. He also had to find you getting off in public. 

“Joel, shit, I’m so sorry,” you start, planting the heels of your palms on your temples. Your legs feel weak, a death sentence with your sluggish, blistering heartbeat. Joel’s silence bears down on you, an inescapable weight, and you’re talking before you can stop yourself. “I– I’ve just been so pent up…” Cheeks burning from the inside out, you scrub your hands from your forehead to your chin.

“Shut up,” Joel says stiffly. A wince cleaves its way out of your body.

Another apology sits on your tongue. “I’m s-”

He cuts in, “Knock it off,” and that’s when your eyes drift lower. Below his belt buckle, but not much further. How could you look any lower when his cock is rock fucking hard in his jeans, fighting against the denim? You whimper, unable to stop yourself from rubbing your thighs together. “Jesus, are you in fuckin’ heat?” Joel snaps.

It doesn’t achieve the desired effect – you just let out another whimper, your arousal still clinging to your thighs. “Joel, please.”

Joel pinches his nose bridge. He shakes his head, dissolving into a muttered swear under his breath. “No, hun. Not gonna end up balls deep in my buddy’s little girl, even if you beg real pretty for me.”

“Why not,” you practically whine, pushing off of the shelf and walking closer to him. He only folds his arms over his broad chest as if to keep you away.

His voice is strained. “Baby–” Your heart flutters. “Can’t do that to your dad. You’re just houndin’ after a poundin’, ain’t ya?”

“I am,” you huff, brain clouded by the arousal that’s currently casting a shadow through all of your being. “Please, I haven’t come in days.”

Joel hisses at that like he’s in pain. He shakes his head again, much faster. There’s a line of remorse pressed between his brows, but it’s far overpowered by the pressure of his cock pulling his jeans taut. “Your little ‘massager’ quit on you, sweetheart?”

You bite your lip. Right on the money. “How’d you know?”

“Came in for… somethin’... the other day. Heard you fussin’ about it to your co-worker.” He shrugs.

You’re burning up, a match struck against the gritty concrete of Joel’s voice. It doesn’t matter that he’s a customer, doesn’t even matter that he’s buddies with your dad. You just want him to replace your aimlessly working fingers at night. You want release, and you want it with him. Begging won’t get you there with Joel, you’re realizing, even if all you want is to get on your knees and cry for his cock. You need to rile him up until he breaks. “Needed another pocket pussy to put your dick in?” you tease.

“Watch yourself,” Joel says. “You really that cock starved, darlin’, that you’d beg your daddy’s friend to stick it to ya?”

“You’re one to talk,” you smirk. “What is it you said? A bit dry lately, right?”

“I clearly got more self control than you, hun.”

You say, “Nah.” Your smirk widens, and you take another dangerous step towards him. “You’re hard as a rock, Joel Miller. Bet you were thinking about sticking it to me all along. That’s why you came back, huh? Get another glimpse of me for your spank ban-”

Joel seals the distance between you two, fist going to curl up around your jaw and squeezing. Your mouth pops open, a choked whimper dislodging from your lips. “You got batteries behind that register?” He asks, voice stern. His eyes are all pupil, plunged into black. You struggle to nod in his grasp. “Grab ‘em.”

He leaves you standing in front of the door, buzzing with nervous energy as he walks towards the vibrator section. Your stomach does what feels like ten cartwheels in a row. You lean over to the door, flipping the sign to closed and drawing the curtain shut before practically jogging to the batteries.

You grab the type your beloved wand takes, not even concerned with cashing him out before he’s in front of you again, slicing into the box with his truck keys. You slide the batteries over, and he’s peeling apart the plastic to expose your favorite pink wand, armed with six different settings that never fail to make you come. You only notice you’re rubbing your thighs together again when he gives you a sharp look while he’s popping the batteries into the proper compartment.

He pats the counter. “Up.” You hop up, maybe too eager, your eyes big and needy. Joel grabs you by the shoulder and leans you back, starting to work on the button of your jeans. “This is how this is gonna go,” he says, voice hardened with an order. “You want me to stop, say so. I’m gonna put this wand on your achy little clit, gonna make you feel better, because you ain’t slutty enough to be humpin’ a chair.” You nod so fast that you’re surprised your head doesn’t fall off. “Not gonna give you my cock, got it?”

“G-got it,” you get out shakily. He taps your hip, and you arch off of the counter so that he can yank your jeans and panties down, leaving you spread out and exposed.

 Joel spreads you with his pointer and middle finger. “Shoot, baby, you poor thing.” He runs a thumb through your seam, thumb coming up sticky with your wetness. “Drippin’ like a faucet.” He brings his thumb up to the corner of your lips, and you greedily take it into your mouth, tasting your musk off of his callouses.

“That’s it, suck it like a good slut,” he coaxes as you run your tongue along his skin. He pulls away with a pop and weighs the wand in his hand. Flicking one of the buttons with his freshly-sucked thumb, the toy whirrs to life and thrums in his large hand.

You squirm below him and his intense gaze, gripping the edge of the counter for any semblance of purchase you can get. Without warning, he places the toy down onto your clit. Your vision crackles black at the edges as you cry out. You writhe underneath him, hips helplessly bucking. Joel laughs, the bastard that he is, and rolls it along your sensitive nub. It moves freely with the help of your wetness, and even on the lowest setting, it’s more than you thought it would be.

It helps that Joel’s the one using it on you, knowing just went to add extra pressure and lift up, and it also helps that you’ve been untouched by even yourself for the majority of the last week. You push your palms down on the counter and desperately grind your hips against the wand’s head. Your head lolls back, the neon signs on the wall behind you shining on your sweat-slick skin. 

Joel flicks between two of the settings, a constant push and pull between low and a little higher, the sort of sensation that has your stomach stirring. “That feel good, hun? Better than rubbin’ this needy pussy on that stool, I bet.” You let out a pitchy sound of half-disagreement, half-pleasure in response, managing to push yourself up on shaking elbows to get a good look at him. He’s still hard, if not more than he’d already been, rolling the wand in easy motions against you. “Shh, it’s okay, baby. Not a bad thing that you only think with your cunt. ‘S cute,” he coos at you. His words make you gush.

“M-more,” you rasp, hips stuttering. You crave more, more of him, even though he’s already denied you that much. There’s a supernova of need flaring inside of you, enough to crack your lips into a ragged moan. Your cunt tightens, squeezing out more of your arousal. You crave him inside of you, buried deep and rolling his hips into you. “Joel, I need – need your cock.”

He turns it up, notches it to a faster pace that engraves pleasure onto your swollen clit. “No you fuckin’ don’t. Quit your mealy mouthin’ and take what I give you. You were ‘bout to spray your whore cum all over that chair, this should be more than enough.” Joel punctuates his sentences with hard jabs of the wand against you, drawing pathetic moans from your chest.

“J-J-Joel! Fuck!”

“J-J-Joel,” he mocks above you, shaking his head. His dark hair flops around with the movements and his tongue sneaks out to lick his lips while he watches you quiver below. “Yeah, you’re in heat alright.” Joel’s hand goes to the hem of your shirt and yanks it up, and your trembling hands help him lower the cups of your bra so he can grab and knead your tits.

His thumb circles your nipple when he turns it up to the highest setting, the one that makes your clit go numb and your back arch. You hardly have time to choke out, “Cl-close!” before Joel rubs the wand just right.

As your orgasm soars through you, you can hear him saying Attagirl, give it to me, so pretty when you come through the veil of your hearing’s fuzziness. You whimper, still rolling your hips as your fingers clamp around his over your tit, and he rubs circles into your palm while you ride it out. “That’s it,” he says when you come down fully, starting to shiver away from the pressure of the vibrator. He lowers it until it stalls in his hand and sets it down on the packaging.

“Good?” he asks, reaching up to stroke your cheek.

“Good,” you nod with a tiny little sigh.

You manage to haul yourself up fully onto your elbows, thighs still trembling. When you look him up and down, you notice two things: there’s the tiny etching of guilt in his eyes, but his cock is definitely still hard. Joel breathes out your name when you reach for him, cupping his sizable bulge through his pants. He hisses. “Can’t be doin’ that, baby.”

“Why?” you ask, lips contorted into a pout. “Because you’re scared you’ll bend me over and fuck me?” You feel his cock twitch under your hand. His resolve is breaking, and you’re loving it. “Just the tip, Joel.”

He winces from your words, but he looks at you, right down to your still-dripping cunt where your release trickles down your inner thighs and your seam. When you spread yourself out for him like he had done and run your finger tip along your opening, that seems to be the last straw. Joel curses under his breath and g0es to make quick work of undoing his belt with one hand, his other still holding yours. “Ju– just the tip,” he reiterates, voice stony. 

Joel pulls himself free, groaning when his cock springs up. A noise of surprise catches in your throat when you see him in full. He’s even bigger than he looked in his jeans – which you had no idea was possible. “Don’t worry, darlin’. Just gonna give you the tip, remember?”

“Yeah,” you exhale on a shaky breath.

Despite his insistence, he still reaches out for the condom display next to you, already popping a box open. You grab his wrist urgently, shaking your head. “Don’t need one. Want – want you like this.”

“We shouldn’t,” he says, still holding the box. “I mean, hun, this joint is literally called Condom Sense. Oughta have some, shouldn’t we?”

“Don’t care.” You gather some of your cum on your fingertips, wrapping them around his head so you can brush over his slit. His hips jump, a dead giveaway to what his answer will be.

He grunts, tossing the box somewhere off to the side. “You protected? Clean?” You nod, victorious. “Alright,” Joel sighs. Apparently coming all over his fleshlight isn’t enough, because Joel bends over the counter and dips his head to press his lips against your clit, kissing before he sucks gently on it. You yelp, but quickly feel that heat returning and sparking in your core. He licks at your entrance, swirling his tongue around. “Taste fuckin’ delicious, baby.” You have a feeling he isn’t prepping you for the tip anymore, even more so when he pulls back to feed your cunt two of his fingers.

You whine, desperately rolling your hips down against his thick fingers, fucking yourself down on him as he opens you up properly. He curls his fingers, rubbing that spongy spot inside of you. Your stomach twitches. “That it?”

“Mhm,” you whine, and he starts thrusting his fingers in and out of you, always sure to brush your g-spot. The heel of his palm slaps against your clit and you whine, looking at where his fingers fuck into you. It’s an obscene view, his knuckles drenched in your juices while you clench down around him.

“Good girl,” he sighs when he finally pulls his fingers from you. He gets a good grip on his cock, rubbing the head through your slippery, sensitive folds. He coats it in your arousal before notching it at your opening. When he pushes in, he stays true to his word so far, but the tip is enough to make the room spin all over again. You squeeze down on him and he groans a rough, “Fuck. So goddamn tight.”

His words make you clench again, and his head tips to meet your shoulder blade, body poised at an awkward angle while he fights to stay at least partially outside of you. “Didn’t expect you to feel this fuckin’ good, sweetheart. So fuckin’... good.” He gives you shallow thrusts with the tip, just barely enough to slip in and out of you. His teeth sink into your shoulder as if trying to keep himself quiet, trying to steel himself into remembering who he’s on top of and who he just made come. 

“Joel,” you whine, carding a hand through his hair and tugging lightly until he brings his eyes on you. “Fuck me.”

For once that night, it’s enough. With his eyes on you, he eases into you, groaning with every inch he gives you until he’s bottomed out in your cunt. With all of Joel’s prepping, there’s no pain, only the fullness of what it’s like to throb around him, to leak down his cock. Your fist tightens in his hair when he pulls out of you only to slam back into you. You look down where his body almost covers yours, and through your silhouettes, you can see the stretch of your arousal sticking to his happy trail, stretching between your skin. The room does spin, now, a blur of pink and pleasure.

Joel says, nipping at your ear, “This what you wanted? Wanted me to stretch you out, make you take my cock like the whore you are?” He rolls his hips into yours and effortlessly finds your g-spot like before. Your legs scramble for purchase, wrapping around his waist and pulling him flush against you. His happy trail, spattered with your arousal, rubs against your clit. You grind your hips down, dig your nails into his biceps, desperate to meet his thrusts. When you don’t respond, he pinches your nipple, and your legs wind even tighter around him in surprise.

“Yes! Wanted it – wanted it when you first walked in, fuck,” you whine.

Joel smirks into the place between your shoulder and neck, kissing up the expanse of your skin. “Horny little girl. Bet you went home so excited to put that wand on your pretty clit, only to find out it quit on ya.” You can only moan, boneless and foggy underneath him as he rocks his hips into you. “Fucked my fleshlight thinkin’ of you, but I bet you already knew that, didn’t you? Wanted to bounce you on my cock so bad. Fuckin’ choking me like I knew you would.”

“Fuck me like you fucked it, then,” you say in a rush, your whimpers still poking through your sentences. “H-hard, Joel, want it rough.”

Joel grunts, twitching inside of you from your request. “Shit, can’t say no to ya. Gotta have… gotta have a goddamn death wish or somethin’, baby.” With that, he finds a punishing, ravenous pace, the filthy noises of his body slapping against yours filling the store from wall to wall. He grins. “But you like it, dirty girl. Can feel ya gettin’ close. C’mon, gimme another, baby.”

You come with a cry, soaking his cock, eyes watering from relief while you grip him. Warmth seeps into your bones and turns your brain to mush, electric from dopamine. You go limp on the ledge while he continues fucking into you, voice filling your ears, “That’s it, that’s my girl, fuuuuck, way better than that fleshlight. Shoulda bent you over the counter and fucked you that first night.” You moan at the thought, pussy still clenching his cock. 

You’re too busy coming to notice him reaching to the side, retrieving the long-forgotten wand. You could scream when he touches it to your clit again on the medium setting, and then your thighs are shaking around him even stronger and you’re coming for the third time that night, launched from one orgasm straight into another with Joel hovering over you, still fucking into you. “Fuck, again?” he asks, voice layered with disbelief. “Such a messy pussy, baby. Drippin’ down my thighs. Gonna make it even messier, pump you full ‘a my cum, sweet girl.”

Your vision whites, palms slapping on the counter before he wraps his hand back in yours like before to ground you. You squeeze his hand and moan in response. He turns the vibrator back to low and keeps rolling his hips into you. “Close, baby, gonna shoot this load up your pretty pussy.” Joel’s forehead drops to the counter, still mouthing at your neck when you feel him jerk inside of you. You feel the warmth of his cum spill into you while you still flutter around him, his debauched moans filling your ear as he empties himself into your cunt.

Both of you are breathing heavily by the time he pulls away from you, you laying down on the counter and staring at the ceiling tiles. They’re unfocused and blurry in your post-orgasmic bliss. You blink yourself back to reality, giving him a look with your hooded, tired eyes. His chest rises and falls, mouth and softening cock smeared with your cum. He’s looking at you with the same eyes you’re giving him, something crossed between incredulity and shamelessness.

Joel fishes around in his back pocket before finding a red flannel handkerchief, which he’s careful to dab at your inner legs. You’re both silent until he separates from you with a peck to your forehead. “Did good for me. You’re, uh… really somethin’, sweetheart.”

You grin at him. “That mean this is gonna happen again?” You ask as he tucks himself away and buckles his belt. You stuff your tits back in your bra, pulling down your shirt and securing your pants and shoes from where they’d long fallen into piles on the floor.

“Don’t jump the gun, baby.” He rubs the back of his neck and licks his lips. “But I ain’t rulin’ it out.”

A cocky smirk tugs at your lips, and you hop fully off of the counter, tugging your jeans up your waist. Joel taps the vibrator box when you’re all done. “Cash me out?” he asks, stuffing the handkerchief back in his pocket and grabbing his wallet instead.

You nod, scanning the damaged vibrator box and batteries and reading off his total. You bag up the soaked vibrator, the on-the-house toy cleaner, and the rest of the batteries he’d bought. “Here you go,” you say, holding it out for him.

“Nah, hun. That’s for you. What use am I gonna get out of a vibrator unless it’s makin’ you come?” He pats the back of your hand and slides the bag across to you again.

You stare at him, fighting not to let your jaw loosen. “Joel… that’s a lot of money.”

“And you deserve to come as much as you want, got it, pretty girl?” He smiles at you with a shrug as if he hadn’t just wrung three out of you within an hour. “Besides, you have my number. You know who to ask if you ever need someone to talk you through it.”

You choke, nodding dumbly at his proposition. So definitely not ruled out.

“Thank you,” you say, bringing yourself to match his smile.

He gives your hand a squeeze and says, “See you later, sweetheart,” before heading out.

And sure, this entire thing is a tornado that could toss up your life like a trailer park, but for Joel? You’d let it happen.

[louvay]

Thinking of Asafi where they have a winter street food date, like they're eating their way through the market, from oden soup, kushikatsu, yakiimo, satisfying spicy ramen xD

Ohhh really fun scenario to think about. They’re in a crowded street with vendors on both sides serving up savory food (with a discount for couples). Arthur joins with her because he’s bad at directions while Fee drags him around because she wants the discount to try out more than one stand. The spicy ramen stand is the one she claims she wants to try out the most because she wants to see Arthur’s face turn red but the opposite is true. She eats the toppings of bamboo shoots, fish cakes and century egg with ease but when it comes to the actual spicy broth, she can’t continue without feeling like her tongue got singed. Meanwhile she looks at her partner’s bowl and finds it empty with Arthur wiping his lips with a napkin as if he truly did pay attention to the etiquette lessons his dad tried to teach him. Overall, it was a night to remember.

[libidomechanica]

And she had no pulse, but by no meaning with vacant eye, delight

It is my faith rewards my love.     I will go, and then he sawe thilke lasse, alas why doe I     loue thilke lasse, that ye are

in the moon stops for the abandon’d     Earth, now learnes strange design the pity, with morning     both high and triple-arch’d

there apace: the changed away among     themselves forsake and die as fast as ever puzzled     urchin on an aged

crone and passion of its     possibilities can we trust? Perchance to pick up who had given     me life—O father!

Said Lilia; Why not a sigh,     nor a tear, from death to life Thou might see her beauty was     so ere it goes. And she

had no pulse, but by no meaning     with vacant eye, delight. Men to the slumbers of an unknown;     but I have pleasure,

be it so; this is rare—when a     belovèd’s bed; and while you’re lagging I may remember     him! Another Sunne belowe,

they han greatly daring dine.     What would have called her enough. Our country;—seldom seen in     breast. And we have many

thing so mock-solemn, that dimm’d the     aëreal eyes admyred, may kindle liuing do adore her.     Why I tie about at

a discount, small or large; also     the churchyard thing, which we no more than whole mines of the light     whereof she mote be made

game. My loue, many long weary     dayes doo weaue, in one way yet, may them selues of passions,     marriage brings harms and hang

the gasping furrowes thirst to     appease. Had no singing I no further songs sends many     a face with moons, dos’t shake

some thou, with mutual stations;     so that springs, o’er the word he said. Those nonsense they liked     to see hopes undone. Herself

be lessoned so, nor that—     plot of a novel, book he’s put down quite by the greedy     seas: throgh which to her knee.