#to finally see it on screen 30 years after first reading the book!

[squirrellypoo]

Feeling cute, might delete later

(IG source)

[lokis-army-77]

Live from Hawkins: Round Two

Older!Eddie Munson x female reader x Older!Steve Harrington

Word Count: 3.6k

What was steve doing when you and his friend were acidently fimling yourselves and why does he want to join in?

Warning: 18+. Eddie and Steve are in their late 50s to early 60s, reader is 20s to early 30s. p in v, oral (f and m receiving), dirty talk, sir kink, pet names, fingering, double penatration, masturbation, exobitonism?, voryerism?.

Masterlist Part 1

It's almost ten p.m. when Steve's phone buzzes and a notification lights up the screen. He grabs it off the bedside table and places his book down on the bed beside him. 

The small notification box read:

EDDIE MUNSON IS LIVE 

Steve clicked on the screen puzzled. What the hell is he doing at this time of night? Steve asked himself as he typed in his phone's password. It only took a second for the live stream to load and what Steve saw had his face blooming with heat. 

Eddie was lying across his king-size bed, head buried between the legs of some young, sweet-sounding thing. Steve stared she couldn't have been older than twenty-two. 

He couldn't keep his eyes off them as they panted and groaned. The show they were unknowingly giving had Steve's cock straining in his pajama pants. 

A small speck of guilt hit him when he cupped himself. He should call Eddie, tell him to turn the live off. It wasn’t just him watching this, the viewers piled in, hitting somewhere in the thousands. 

Eddie wasn't just some unknown guy, he had once been part of a successful band in the 90s and now a producer in the rock scene. People knew him and this would be front-page news by the morning. Yet Steve pushed down that guilt and slipped his hand past the elastic waistband of his pants. 

Your moans coming through the speaker of his phone egged him on as he fisted his cock. He let out a sputtered breath, slowly moving his thumb over the head, smearing the bead of pre cum around. Never had his best friend turned him on this much. Not even when they had their little experimental phase before Eddie had gotten married or those one-off nights several years after Eddie's wife had died. 

No, never had Eddie gotten Steve all torn up. But add you to the mix and Steve was just about ready to cum and he had barely begun to touch himself. 

Steve continued to watch, eyes half-lidded and full of lust. His fingers stroked up and down, up and down, pulling sinful sounds out of him. The way your body moved in response to Eddie had Steve fumbling. 

"Fuck, baby, feels so good." He mumbled to himself, his hips kicking up in his grip. He was so close. 

His vision became tunneled as he continued to fuck his hand. Hard and fast were his strokes. His focus was shot, he no longer watched his phone, and the obscene noises coming from it also faded into the background. Steve had a one-track mind now and it was all for his own pleasure. 

His other hand dropped the phone and came to cup his balls. He let out a choked gasp at the feeling of both his hands. 

"Fuck fuck fuck, I'm gonna... ahh fuck!" Steve was at his limit. Cock hard and balls straining he cried out into the open air of his home. His release sprung forth, coating his chest in sticky spend. It dribbled out of him and pooled on his abdomen. 

Steve's breathing was staggered, shallow, and fast and he worked himself to overstimulation. He jerked against his sheets and then finally let go of his cock, heaving. 

He made a face when he looked down to see the mess he had made of his stomach. Carefully he reached over to his bedside table and grabbed the box of Kleenex. Taking a handful he wiped himself down and threw the soiled squares to the side, a mess for him to clean up tomorrow. 

With his eyes closed he listened to his heartbeat thumping in his ears. He was calming down. And in an instant the post-nut clarity rushed in and Steve scrambled for his phone. You were both finished, lying, spent, on Eddie's bed. So Steve exited the live and called his friend. 

The first call was answered by voicemail but the second went through. 

Eddie huffed into the receiver at the interruption and Steve informed him, not-so-nicely of what was happening. 

…

Days passed and Steve couldn't get the thought of you or Eddie out of his head. He'd tried everything from cold showers when the thoughts hit,  to thinking of the most non-boner inducing things he could conjure up in his head. But his mind was wicked and he needed the both of you. 

He was so thankful when the next Friday rolled around and he met Eddie for lunch. Eddie couldn't stop gushing about you. How he was so glad you could find the humor in his accidental livestream, and thank God your face hadn't been shown clearly in the dim light of the room. He even expressed that you had agreed to see "an old man like himself" again that coming  Saturday. 

It was then that Steve knew he would do everything in his power to get in on a night with you and Eddie. 

After your Saturday dinner with Eddie the next day Steve showed up at his house. Eddie recounted the hell of a time he had with you. How you'd beg for him and ask so politely for things he wasn't even sure his old bones could do anymore. How he loved the chance to be dominant in the bedroom again. You were a vixen, a succubus and he was completely enthralled. 

Then, Steve asked, "Do you think she'd like a third?" 

Eddie had stopped in his tracks, mouth open wide before a devious smile fixed itself onto his face. 

"Oh, Stevie boy, are you asking what I think you are?" 

Steve couldn't help the fierce blush that came to his cheeks. "I-I- uh…" He stuttered. Eddie just smiled and hit Steve's knee with the back of his hand.

"I'm teasing, you always get so flustered." He laughed. "But sure, I'll ask her."

…

When Eddie had broached the subject of inviting his friend Steve into the bedroom, you were hesitant, but then Eddie showed you pictures of the man. He was stunning, hair cut short and graying just like Eddie's. A short beard and tan freckled skin. He looked fit, his arms bulged under the sleeves of his button-up shirt, thighs much the same in those black slacks. 

You licked your lips and pressed your legs together. Looking at Eddie wide-eyed you nodded. 

“What’s that baby? Need you to say it,” He tutted, swiping a piece of hair behind your ear, fingers grazing your cheek. 

“Want your friend to join us, please."

And just like that, Steve's fantasy was coming true. 

…

Steve was freshly home from work, exhausted, and in need of a large black coffee even though it was closing in on 6:30 at night. He had just started to unbutton the light blue button-up when his phone rang. Taking it from his pocket, he answered with a swipe of his thumb. 

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Steve, It’s me.” Eddie’s gruff voice filtered in through the speaker. 

“Oh, hey man. What’s up?” Steve held the phone between his shoulder and ear, fingers starting on the buttons again. 

“I know it’s short notice but do you want to come over?” 

Steve sighed and looked at his alarm clock. “Uh, I don’t know Eds, it's almost seven.” 

There was some shuffling on the other end and a muffled reply from Eddie, only it wasn’t to him, it was to you. “Well, did ya hear that, Sweetheart? Old man Steve can’t come tonight.” 

Steve’s heart skipped. “Woah woah woah woah. Hold on a second… She’s there?”

“Yep, Stevie boy, she's here all right, watin’ on you. Isn’t that right, Sugar?”

He hears more shuffling and then a soft, sultry voice. “Yeah, Steve, need you here.” You giggled as Eddie pulled the phone away from you. 

“Hurry up and get over here, front door’s unlocked.” And with that, Eddie hung up. 

Steve cranked himself into high gear, unbuttoning his shirt and grabbing his keys from the dresser. No less than five traffic violations were committed as he sped to Eddie’s with one thing on his mind. You.

When Steve arrived at Eddie’s, you could hear him rushing into the house and quickly making his way to the bedroom where you were already undressed and lounging on the king-sized bed. As soon as the phone call had ended, Eddie had ordered you to rid yourself of his shirt and your underwear, saying he wanted you all nice and pretty for when Steve got there. 

Steve entered the room with a grin on his face which slowly faded once he saw you laid out for him. 

Goosebumps covered your flesh, the room was cold and the two pairs of eyes scouring your body didn’t help. 

“Hi, Steve.” You lifted a hand and waved languidly at him. He gulped and looked over at Eddie. 

“She said hi, don’t be rude, say hello back.” 

Steve straightened, coming back to himself. “Hi, Babydoll.” 

You smiled a toothy smile and squirmed on the bed, hair flaring out around your head. Steve took a step closer to you only to be stopped by Eddie clearing his throat. “Before we start… we talked it over, and Steve, we won’t do it if you aren’t okay with it.” Steve looked at his friend with a little bit of fear as to what he was going to suggest. “But, this one,” he pointed at you and shook his head. “This one said, after the fact, that she liked knowing people had watched us. So how about we film this? She said faces can be blurred, names can be cut out…” Eddie trails off.

Steve looks between the two of you and he can’t believe he says it but it comes out strong. “Okay.” 

“Okay?” You and Eddie ask in surprise. 

He shrugs, “I mean if they really won’t be able to see my face.” 

Eddie stands and claps Steve on the back. “Glad to see you’re up for it, Stevie.” He grabs his phone and holds it out toward you. “Baby, do you mind figuring out the camera?” 

You huff, grab the phone from his hand and expertly navigate to the camera. Setting the video to record after selecting a ten-second delay. You hand it back to Eddie, telling him to prop it up on the dresser, back camera facing the bed. 

Once the recording starts you lay back on the bed and wait patiently for the two men. Eddie moves around to the side closest to your head and he leans down, lips brushing the shell of your ear. 

“Wanna let Steve taste you, Sweetheart?” Eddie asks. You nod only for him to tsk, “Use your words, baby.”

“Yes, please I want him to.” 

“Then ask him, baby.”

You look at Steve as he watches you with wide eyes, his tongue slowly swiping across his bottom lip. “Steve?” 

“Yeah, Babydoll?” He answers.

“Will you please eat me out?” 

Steve loses his breath at your question but beams all the same. “Sure I will, baby.” He begins his crawl up the bed to your legs. His hands are softer than Eddie’s as you feel them running over your skin. There are no callouses from years of playing guitar, just smooth palms and fingertips tickling you with how lightly they touch you. “Open wide for me, love.” 

You do as he says, spreading your legs to accommodate his wide shoulders. You let your upper body relax into the mattress, soft sighs come from you as Steve's hands continue to rub at you. Your heart is beating in anticipation and as soon as you close your eyes you feel a short, wet lick going up your slit. 

"Ah.. Steve," you gasp. Your hands immediately reach out to grip his hair to which he responds by pulling away.

"Eddie, why don't you keep her hands occupied and out of my hair." He pulls your hands away from him and waits for Eddie to grab hold of them before settling back between your thighs. 

Eddie complies, taking your hands and raising them above your head and resting them on the tops of his thighs. "Keep your hands right here, baby, don't wanna see you move 'em," he instructs. "Now tell Steve you're sorry for messing up his hair." 

You pout and dig your fingers into Eddie's jeans when Steve's tongue flicks at your clit. "I'm sorry for putting my hands in your hair, Stevie." 

Steve's kitten links to your clit stop and he looks up through thick eyelashes. "Fuck… baby." He groans before diving back into you. This time his licks aren't slow. They're fast and strong and almost too much as he only shows attention to your clit. 

Behind you, Eddie unzips his jeans and begins to pull himself from them. He taps your cheek with his hand and speaks your name. "Open that pretty mouth for me," he says.

You feel yourself getting impossibly wetter at the sight of his cock inches from you. Opening your mouth, you stick your tongue out for good measure. 

Eddie groans as he pushes himself into you. "Such a good girl for me. My cock taste good, sugar?" 

You hum around him, the tangy taste of his precum spreading throughout your mouth. He let you suck on him as best you could before he began thrusting in and out gently. 

Meanwhile, Steve had begun fucking your entrance with two fingers. He had you squirming underneath him, hips bucking at the sensations. 

It was hard to focus on any one feeling, on either of the two men. As Eddie fucked your mouth and Steve your pussy, your body filled with pleasure. Your legs widened for Steve, walls clenching down around his fingers as he pressed them up over and over again into a sensitive spot. Your throat relaxed and your head fell over the side of the bed letting Eddie's cock delve deeper and deeper into you. 

With your mouth full you can’t tell them you’re close, but Steve can tell. You’ve got his fingers in a vice-like grip and he can see the cool sweat that's broken out all over you. He laps up your wetness and begins to suck on your clit. 

You let out muffled moans and gagging breaths before pushing Eddie away. Your arms stung with the ache of holding onto his thighs for so long. “Fuck!” you cry out, gasping for air as your body begins to twitch, orgasm coming on fast.

Steve pulls away just far enough to speak. “Gonna cum, Babydoll? Gonna cum all for us?” 

“Yeah, gonna cum,” you heave, chest rising and falling fast.

“Then ask.” Eddie’s voice is deep and booming behind you. 

“Please Sir, Steve, can I cum?” you ask. 

They both take the time to look at one another and Eddie shrugs, leaving Steve to decide. 

“Go ahead, baby.” Steve smiles and kicks up the pace of his fingers while his other hand comes to massage your clit. 

Eddie’s hands are also on you in a second, pulling and pinching at your nipples. The sensations are too much to handle, your back arches off the bed and your muscles go rigid as you cum hard. Wet sounds fill the room as Steve keeps plunging his fingers in and out. 

“Cumming! I’m fucking cumming!” you cry, legs snapping shut around Steve as your body shook. 

“Good girl,” they both praise. 

Steve took his hand from between your legs and brought his soaked fingers up to his mouth, licking them. Before he could clean them completely, Eddie took Steve’s hand and brought it to his own mouth. He hummed at the taste of you. 

“You always taste so sweet, sugar.” He hums. 

You watch, eyes half-lidded, as Steve moves to sit in the middle of the bed, back pressed against the headboard. Eddie rakes his fingers in your hair then grabs your shoulders, helping to sit you up. 

 He gives you soft kisses over your face before asking, “Gonna let us fuck you now, baby?” 

“Yes, sir. Wanna feel you both.” 

“Is that right, Babydoll? Want us to stretch you open?” Steve reaches his hand out, catching your ankle and rubbing circles into the skin with his thumb.

“Please.” You pull your foot away from him only to then crawl his way. Steve guides your legs over his. He’s still in his slacks, cock aching to be released. The heat your body lets off above him only adds to his discomfort. 

“God, need these fucking things off.” He growls hands coming down between the two of you only for you to push them away. 

“I’ll get it.” You respond in a sultry tone. Nimble fingers flick the button of his pants open and with how much he’s tented against the zipper it almost flies down by itself. 

Eddie moves up the bed behind you. Pants and boxers now discarded. His warm palms traverse the smooth expanse of your back and hips, his fingers grip at your ass. He looks over your shoulder and chuckles, "Still as big as ever aren't you, Stevie?" 

Steve's cock is massive in your hands. Slowly you begin to move up and down his length, spreading the milky, translucent spend over his tip. He groans, hips bucking into your hands. 

"Quit teasing baby. Need to be inside you." Steve tuts. 

You wriggle in his lap before going up onto your knees. Steve scoots down a bit and his cock aligns with your entrance. You keep him straight as you slowly sink down on him. His girth stretches you further than you've ever experienced. Air is sucked in through your teeth as you whine, head falling forward to his shoulder.

"I know, baby, I know." He coos.

Behind you, Eddie still has his hands over you, helping you move steadily to the base of his friend. 

If Steve was pushing you to your limit now, you couldn't begin to imagine what it would feel like to also have Eddie buried in your ass.

When the tip of Steve's cock met with the resistance of your cervix, you let out a long, low mewl. “Ah- Steve!” 

“That’s right babydoll, say my name.” He grits out as Eddie helps you to up the pace of your hips. 

“Steve!” You call out again, whimpering as you clench down around him. 

His hand reaches for the back of your neck, pulling you in for a sloppy kiss. You slow your hips down to an almost halt and as you pull away from Steve you look back at Eddie. “Please,” you say to him. “Wanna feel you too.” 

Eddie takes his time lining himself up with you, teasing your hole with the tip only to move away. He extends his hand between yours and Steve's faces. “Spit,” He commands and you both spit into his hand. He uses the saliva to wet himself and you before pressing in finally. 

You gasp, chest falling into Steve as you are opened up. Eddie had only recently started fucking your ass, in preparation for this night, but him alone couldn’t amount to the feeling of both holes being filled by such massive cocks. 

“Ah- fuck Sweetheart,” Eddie grunts. “Sucking me in aren't you?”

You nod erratically, “Yes, sir. Mmm, you both feel so good.” 

Steve chuckles. “She says we feel good, Eds.” 

“I know… She feels good too.” Eddie chokes out a moan, “I think I can feel you, Steve.”

“Fuck, me too.” 

You think Steve is moving closer to you for a kiss but when you close your eyes and the kiss doesn't come, you open them again only to see him kissing Eddie. The sheer dominance Eddie was putting into the kiss had you clamping down around them, bringing forth long, deep groans from them both. You watched in awe as Eddie had his fingers twisted in the hair at Steve’s neck, pulling his head back. It opened him up for more teeth, more tongue, more everything. You would have thought it impossible to get even more wet, but this sight was what it took. 

Eddie shoved Steve away gently and then connected his lips with your neck. Steve also began to pay attention to your body by latching onto one of your breasts. You begin to ride them both, hips rutting into each of them at a breakneck speed. It was almost too much. 

With them both filling you up and their mouths sucking and licking over your skin, you cry out. You have no time to ask for permission to cum before you feel wetness erupting from between your legs. 

Your head falls back onto Eddie’s shoulder, your chest heaves up and down as your breaths run ragged. The two men keep themselves buried deep within you, fucking you as you moan and cry with pleasure. 

They’re both grunting as they push themselves into you, an animalistic sound that spurs the other on until you feel Steve let up. His rhythm becomes erratic and his grip on your skin like a vice. As he comes undone inside of you he lets out the most leg-clenching, giving you butterfly whimper you have ever heard. 

Eddie is quick to follow, pumping you full and kissing you hard. 

You all fall in a heap of sweaty, exhausted bodies. Someone’s lips find yours in the pile, even with your eyes closed you can tell it’s Steve, his facial hair being almost non-existent compared to Eddie’s beard. Your hand finds its way into his hair again and this time he lets you keep it there, tugging him in closer.  

“Thank you for coming over.” You tell him between open-mouthed kisses. 

Steve sighs. “No, thank you for letting me.” 

“Right, well, I think I need a shower.” Eddie kissed down your shoulder before standing. “Who’s joining me?” 

Excitedly, you scramble to your feet beside him and pull Steve to his. 

This night was far from over if the two men had anything to do with it. Screw work and obligations. Screw going to bed at a decent time. You made them both feel young again and they were going to chase that until they physically couldn’t.

[tieronecrush]

hot & heavy

chapter ten: a hidden gem, my own goldmine

neighbor!joel x f!reader

series masterlist

series rating: E (18+ MDNI)

series summary:

over the course of three summers, joel miller becomes woven into your life. the first summer is spent falling for him; nannying his daughter and sneaking around with him in a burning love affair. you know how you feel about joel, he isn’t so sure about how it all is gonna work. the second summer is brief. a month spent at home after graduation and before you move to boston for your dream job. one look at you, one time hearing your voice, and joel is hooked again. he pines over you for that month, but you think — how is long distance of over a thousand miles going to work for a single dad? the third summer, you return home burnt out and pride bruised from your post-grad life. you need time to feel at home again, like your complete self, so you’ve come back home with no return ticket booked. it’s only a matter of time before joel seeks you out, slowly spending more time with you. without an inevitable end to the summer looming over you both, what chances are you willing to take?

word count: 10k

warnings: NO OUTBREAK (don’t need to worry about the mushies), no use of y/n, inexperienced reader, age gap (joel is 30/31, reader is 22), canon-divergent (sarah is 7 y/o), nanny au, pet names (sweetheart, darling, sweet girl, mariposa, etc.), polite southern manners, feeling familial and self-pressure, ESTABLISHED relationship FINALLY, spanish cause joel is latino, fingering, unprotected p in v, dirty talkkk king joel miller, soft (and soft dom) joel, possessive joel, mentions of depression diagnosis and symptoms, struggling with self, discussion of co-parenting, angst, MAJOR doubt! and a slumber party! yay!

a/n: thank you as always to the bestie/cousin/sister wife/sweet, sweet gf @northernbluess for beta-reading this chapter, seriously i can't write without you so you're stuck with me. also this chapter is a little heavier in spanish then before, so if there are any corrections needed, please comment or message me! i went through multiple translations to try to find the best/most common, but things are bound to slip through the cracks.

Joel’s been catching up with some chores around the house this evening after Sarah’s gone to bed: dishes are washed and put away, counters wiped down and floors mopped. He reset the living room after he put the laundry in the dryer, settling onto the couch with a long sigh. Hands rub at his tired eyes, muscles aching for his bed but he is determined to stay up until you text him that you’re back at your friend’s house safe.

A few of your friends from college ended up with jobs in Austin, and tonight you’d all arranged to go out downtown. You had, sweetly, invited Joel to tag along but when you mentioned that the only other guys there would be boyfriends of your friends that were your age, he politely declined. Well, he used his daughter as an excuse because he didn’t want to admit that he was a little insecure about the age difference, even still.

It’s not even a large one, you’re twenty-five  and he’s thirty-three, but with a nearly ten year old kid and his own business, he’s willing to bet he’s in a much different place in life than your friends' significant others. And if there isn’t a lot of common ground, Joel knows he’s not the most social or conversational.

Resting his eyes, his head rolls back onto the couch while the TV drones on about the latest Astros game. A short buzz from his phone in his pocket peels his eyes open, yawning quietly as he fishes the device out and flips it open.

FROM: Mariposa

Cn u pcik me up pLs????

While deciphering your drunk text, another couple are delivered and he keys down to see them as he chuckles at the antics. 

I miiss u

Eveynoe is w their BFs n I wnt mine 

Plesaseeeeeee J

Before he can type a response to you, an incoming call blocks out his screen, his thumb hitting the accept button quickly and bringing the phone to his ear.

“Feelin’ alright, Mari?”

A hiccup on the other line makes him laugh quietly again, your voice coming in over the music and people in the background, “No, not alright. M’sad.”

“Why’re you sad, sweet girl?”

“Cause you’re not here. Every—everybody’s…No I didn’t want a vodka water, gross! I wanna vodka soooooda with lime…Oops, sorry J. What was I saying?” A giggle from your end pulls a smile on his face, only slightly worried at your level of intoxication.

“You were telling me why you’re sad.”

“Right! M’sad cause all my friends have got their boy—” One hiccup. “Boyfriends here. And you’re aaaallllll the way at home.” Another hiccup. “I wanna be home with you.”

“I see. Well, I don’t want you to be sad, darlin’, so m’gonna come pick you up. How’s that sound?”

He hears a gasp into the phone and your voice gets quieter, imagining you holding the phone or turning your head away to a nearby friend.

“He’s coming! Jus’ to pick me up though, we gotta get back for Sar—Sarah…Yeah, she’s so cute…Well, yeah duh, he’s a DILF…I mean, to me I guess he’d be a DIAF…‘Dad I Am Fucking’…Oh, shit!” There’s a rustling as he laughs to himself overhearing your conversation, a smug smile on his face from you bragging to your friends. “M’sorry, J, god I totally forgot I was on the phone!” You punctuate your sentence with an incredulous laugh before quieting down to hear Joel.

“That’s alright, Mari. M’gonna drop Sarah with Tommy and then come and get you, okay? Can you tell me where you are?” Joel is already standing from the couch, grabbing his keys from the entryway before making his way upstairs to get Sarah into the car.

“Ummm…One sec!” The line rustles again while he stands at the top of the stairs. “Okay, we’re at that place on 11th, Nickel City.”

“Yeah, I know where that is, sweetheart. Be there soon, okay?”

“Okay. Tha—” One last hiccup. “—nks, J.”

“Anytime, amor. Anytime.”

With Sarah dropped off at Tommy’s, Joel goes into town to pick you up. It takes another twenty minutes from Tommy’s place, finding a parking spot not too far from the bar. He slips in the door and starts to comb his eyes over the crowd, most people stepping out of his way from his intimidating frame while he weaves through the masses.

Spotting you off to the side at a high-top table, some friends he recognizes from your photos dotted around the surface as well. You’re wrapped up in a conversation with the person next to you while you sit on a stool, Joel’s eyes finally landing on the person you’re talking to. It’s another man, about his height, maybe a few inches shorter. He’s got light hair, a clean-cut look with some fancy shirt on. Clearly, the guy is flirting with you, standing closer and leaning an arm around the back of your chair. Knowing how drunk you sounded over the phone, it occurs to him that you likely don’t even realize this guy’s body language, a primal possessiveness taking over his judgment. 

He’s waited years for you. There’s no way in hell he isn’t putting on a show for this guy to send him a message.

Joel rolls his shoulders back, chest raising with the corrective posture. He saunters over to the table, politely smiling and waving as your friends must recognize him and welcome him to the group. He walks right up to the other side of your chair, placing a hand on your lower back and brushing against the skin exposed by the tank top you’re wearing.

A small gasp exhales from you with the surprise contact, turning your head and beaming when you see him. The look makes the wings of his butterfly flap faster, beating in time with his heartbeat.

“You’re here! M’so happy to see you.” He matches your smile before he is crushed in a hug, your arms around his neck. Unraveling from each other, you turn back toward the other man, before one of your other friends comes over to tell you something, pulling you away but still within arm’s length for Joel to keep his hand on you.

Joel reaches his hand out toward the man,  “Nice to meet you…”

“Colton.”

“Nice to meet you, Colton. Are you one of the college friends?”

Colton gives a weak handshake to Joel, shaking his head with a laugh, “No, actually, never met any of ‘em until tonight. Well, except Taylor. M’relatively new to town, met Taylor through work, so you know how it is. Trying to make some connections.”

Joel has to hold back his eye roll, annoyance clear on his face at the skirting around that this Colton is doing. Joel’s heard it before from Tommy — going up to a girl and using the ‘new in town’ line to get a conversation started and to hopefully get them to leave with you to ‘show you around’.

Mine. You’re mine, he repeats to himself, the jealousy pumping in his veins.

“So’re you one of the college friends? Or an Austin friend?” Colton makes polite conversation while you turn in Joel’s arm and wrap your own around his back. Tugging on his t-shirt the fingers of one of your hands slip under the material and skim across his skin. Joel clears his throat, chuckling dryly as he keeps his gaze on Colton.

“Uh, not quite. M’the boyfriend.” His head nods to his side to you, a tight, smug smile on his face as he watches the gears in Colton’s head turn.

It’s not happening for him tonight. Or ever.

“Oh shit! You must be Joel! We’ve been waiting for you. I’ve just been making sure she’s had some water and didn’t wander off before you got here. She’s been talkin’ about you all night, made me think about how many times I’ve drunkenly ranted about my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, Taylor’s my girlfriend — she’s the one with blonde hair right across the table.” Colton beams down the way as Taylor makes eye contact with him, waving to the woman as she smiles back at him.

The man is a golden retriever. And Joel thought he was some douchebag trying to hook up with his girlfriend. Joel opens his mouth to apologize for his cold behavior, but before he can your head pops up from his chest, grabbing his attention. Hands at his back scratch your nails against his skin, humming contently as you press a sloppy kiss to his jaw.

Colton considers his duties relieved and goes to find his girlfriend before Joel can thank him, leaving the two of you at the end of the table. Joel pulls his chin in to look down at you, smiling softly and moving a hand to the back of your neck.

“You alright, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, jus’ happy you’re here. Missed you.”

Joe presses a kiss to your forehead and you hum again, swaying sleepily in his arms. “M’glad you called me, Mariposa.”

“Can we go home now please?”

“Yeah, Mari, ‘course we can. You want me to bring you to your house?” His hands move to your sides, running up and down against the fabric of your tank top. You hook your arms around his neck and shake your head, a tiny “humpf” accompanying it.

“No, home.”

“My house?”

“Yes! Home. Wanna sleep in your bed, s’comfier than mine.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, I can bring you home.”

A warm stirring is felt in his chest, steadying you in your stance and keeping an arm around your waist. You say goodbye to your friends, all of them waving to you both as Joel steers you through the bar and to his truck outside.

Joel calls Tommy on the way home, his brother telling him that Sarah’s out cold and he can bring her back in the morning when she wakes up. He presses for an answer about why Joel had to drop Sarah off, but Joel ignores Tommy’s question again and hangs up.

Safely back at his house, he helps you out of the truck and inside, walking behind you on the stairs as you stumble. It’s like a baby deer learning to walk — he’s never seen you this drunk, tipsy, sure, but never at this level. A smile crosses his face as he imagines a moment like this in the future with you, maybe after a night out for the two of you or maybe even after your wedding.

Your voice pulls him out of his thoughts, tripping over your feet at the landing and recovering on your own. His hand hovers at your back, ready to break your fall if it happens.

“I’m alright, m’alright. Jus’ tripped a lil’.”

To be safe, Joel holds your hips the rest of the way up and into his room, sitting you on the edge of the mattress and gathering a t-shirt from his drawers for you to wear to bed.

“No, I want the funny one that I like,” you whine, waving a hand back at his dresser. Joel shakes his head to himself, chuckling about the fact that you still have a preference for sleep attire.

He grabs the shirt you’re talking about, a worn and washed one that he got as a joke from Tommy a few years ago. He normally wears it to sleep himself, if he wears one, or around the house if he knows he won’t be going out. It’s faded black now, yellow text that reads ‘I do know it all…I just can’t remember it all at once.’

Upon finding it in his drawer last week, you laughed hysterically and made him put it on for a Polaroid. You’ve also requested it every time you’ve stayed over since. 

In front of you again, with the correct shirt, he kneels down and pats the outside of your thighs. “Can you stand for me, sweetheart?”

Using his shoulders as support, you stand on sea legs, swaying back and forth as he looks up at you. “Can I take off your skirt, darlin’?”

“Yeah, you can, cutie.” You giggle and sway wider, playing with the curls at the top of his head, turning his head to your will as he unbuttons and unzips your denim skirt. “You got some grays mixed in here, mister.”

“M’getting old, Mari. No surprises there.” He chuckles and helps you lift each foot to step out of the tube of material completely, rubbing a hand on your calf before he stands in front of you again. He’s faced with a pout, brows knit together in anger.

“You’re not getting old. You’re literally in your thirties. Not old.”

“Say that to the gray hairs then, sweetheart.”

“Gray hairs—“ Hiccup. “Mean nothing ‘sides the fact that you’re gonna be a silver fox. My silver fox.”

A content smile, closed lips, pulls the corners of your mouth up. Heavy eyelids cover your irises halfway, the sight of you so drunkenly drowsy is utterly adorable to him. Fingers grip the bottom of your tank top, kissing your forehead.

“Can I take off your shirt?”

“Take it all off, bay-beeee.” Your swaying causes you to stumble again, Joel catching you before you fall back onto the bed. Once you’re steady, your own hands slip under his shirt, running over his tummy while you press sloppy kisses into his neck. “Mm, want you so bad, J.”

“I love you, darlin’, and you know I want you all the time, but not tonight. You need to get some water and go to sleep. For a while.” A defeated sigh blows against his skin, rocking back on your heels and Joel holding your weight to bring you to stand straight again. “Arms up, baby.”

You comply without another ask, lifting your arms as if they’re heavy weights, allowing Joel to tug the material over your head. With a slight slap sound, your arms drop back against your sides. Joel takes off your bra for you and gets you into his t-shirt, giving you a small kiss. He walks you to your side of the bed, tucking you in.

“Be right back, sweet girl. Gonna get you some water and then you can go to sleep, okay?”

“Okay.” You sigh, nesting into the sheets and duvet. Your eyes close, soft hums filling the room as he runs downstairs, filling a glass of water and grabbing ibuprofen to leave at your bedside for the morning.

Returning to his room, he coaxed you to sit up, having you drink half the glass. He changes for bed himself, stripping down to his boxers and slipping under the covers, pulling you closer with an arm around your waist.

“G’night, Mari.”

“Mm, night, J. Thanks for coming to get me and bringing me home. Like sleeping next to you lots more than a sleepover with my friends…”

“Like sleeping next to you too, Mari. Missed you all night. M’glad you’re home now.”

“Nightie night.”

“Nightie night, sweet girl. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” He pinches your side playfully, breathing a laugh out of his nose at your yelp and squeezing you closer. With a kiss to the top of your head, he lulls you to sleep with his fingertips running up and down your spine, thoughts going right back to those flash images of a future with you.

“Love you, Mariposa.”

There’s an ache all over your body, eyes too sore and crusted over with sleep to peel open when you first wake up. Light peeks through the curtains, shining onto the bed and directly at your face, making you groan into the pillow and attempt to roll over.

Unfortunately, your body is telling you to get up, find water or pain meds or some coffee, you really wouldn’t be all too picky at this moment. Rolling over onto your back, you reach out to your side and feel bedding underneath your hand, pouting to yourself when you finally open your eyes and see Joel’s gone. As you sit up, you can hear the shower turn on in the bathroom attached to his bedroom and you can hear some quiet humming from the other side of the door. A smile crosses your face, the idea of a shower nestling itself in your mind and feeling like it would be the only thing to get rid of all of this hangover.

On the nightstand next to you, there are two burgundy-colored tablets and a half glass of water, vaguely remembering last night when Joel made you drink the other half before going to sleep. Washing down the ibuprofen with the entirety of the water, you start to recount what you can recall from the night before, cringing internally when you get to the point that Joel showed up to pick you up. You don’t really remember getting home, but looking down at the t-shirt you’re wearing clues you in that Joel must have done most of the work to get you into bed.

Slipping out from under the duvet, you set the empty glass back down and slink over to the bathroom, twisting the knob and opening the door. The squeak of the hinges breaks your sneaking attempt and Joel’s humming stops.

He speaks up over the sound of the water, “Mariposa? That you?”

“I sure hope no one else would be sneaking into the bathroom this morning. Unless you have another drunk girlfriend you had to pick up from the bar,” you laugh at the self-deprecating joke, picking up your toothbrush and squeezing out a dollop of toothpaste to clean your teeth. And to get rid of the taste of tequila lingering on your tongue.

The shower curtain slides back a bit and Joel’s head sticks out, goofy grin on his face with curls hanging on his forehead. “Nah, just got the one. How’re feeling this morning?”

“Like I got beat up by a bunch of vodka sodas and a couple of tequila shots.” Your words are muffled around the foamy toothpaste, leaning back against the counter facing him.

“Yeah, you were pretty drunk, darlin’. But it was honestly cute, you’re a funny drunk.”

Turning back toward the sink, you fold over the sink to spit out and rinse your mouth out, groaning softly, “God, please tell me I didn’t do or say anything embarrassing.”

“Nothin’ too bad, but there were some things that I will be committing to memory,” Joel laughs and winks, the noise getting louder as you groan again and roll your head back.

“This is the worst part about getting drunk. People holding stupid shit you said over your head.” Crossing your arms in front of your chest, you look at Joel across the few feet separating you and watch him shake his head and grin sweetly.

“I’ll tell you what you said, sweetheart, but I think you’re in too physically fragile of a state right now.”

“God, you are right about that,” you sigh and shake your head, propping yourself off the counter you were leaning on, crossing the tiles to be only a foot from Joel’s face, “Can I join you? A shower sounds like exactly what I need right now.”

He nods quickly, halfway through the question and you chuckle at the antics, pulling the t-shirt over your head and slipping off your panties to leave both in a heap with Joel’s clothes. He opens the curtain for you and steps back toward the other wall while you close the curtain and drag yourself under the stream of water.

A sigh relaxes your chest and shoulders, closing your eyes as you let the warm water run all over you. Joel’s hands brush across your skin, the feeling of his work-worn palms sending a tingle of excitement down your skin and chilling your body even under the hot water. His thumbs cup under your breasts while the rest of his fingers splay out on your ribcage, tips of them toward your back as he holds you closer to him.

“Mm, you’re so beautiful, d’you know that, mi Mariposa? La mujer más hermosa del mundo (The most beautiful woman in the world),” Joel mumbles against your skin when he nestles into the crook of your neck, curving his back to fit with you perfectly. His hands wander from your ribs, circling around your back and drifting down to the swell of your ass where they settle with a gentle squeeze.

“I think I’m getting better at Spanish 'cause I understood that. And it was very sweet, thank you, J. I think you’re the most beautiful man in the world.” You giggle and feel Joel exhale a chuckle against your neck, peppering slow and spaced kisses along your shoulder.

“You also told me something else about what you think of me last night. Well, it was to one of your friends but you were still on the phone with me so I heard,” he stretches to full height again with a smug smirk, squeezing your ass again as you sigh.

“Oh god, what did I say to you? Did I feed your massive ego?” you tease, bringing your hands up to his shoulders and lightly scratching your nails against his skin.

“I learned that I am a DILF last night. Or according to you, I am a DIAF to you. Dad I Am Fucking.” He can barely get the last sentence out around his loud laugh, your embarrassed reaction of wide eyes and jaw dropped egging him on more.

“Stop, I cannot believe I said that. And that you heard! You’re never going to let me live that down.”

“Not a chance, sweetheart. Not a chance,” Joel can’t wipe the giggly smile off of his face as he continues, “Oh, and you also were definitely really into me getting you into pajamas last night. I asked if I could take off your shirt and you said ‘Take it all off bay-beeee’. Which was very tempting.”

“Oh my god, if you don’t stop telling me all of this right now, I won’t take anything off for you again.” It’s a thinly veiled threat, both of you know it holds zero weight.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out as you turn toward the shelf in the shower, reaching for the body wash before Joel intercepts your hand, holding it in his and lowering it to your side. He presses his chest to your back, the contact also nudging his hard cock into the flesh of your ass.

“Y’know, I woke up this morning after you were all over me last night with a fucking hard on. Aching for you. And then you come in here and ask to join me in the shower, made it come right back…” he leans down, kissing your shoulder, up your neck and to your ear, “D’you still want me, Mariposa? Hm?”

One of his hands drifts to your inner thighs, coaxing your legs apart and swiping two fingers from your entrance to your clit. Your arousal coats his fingers, a quiet whimper leaving your lips in an exhale, eyes closing and head rolling back against his shoulder.

“You still want me, mi dulzura? Feels like you do,” his lips are against your ear, voice low and gravelly, and he slowly circles your clit as you continue to whimper and writhe in his arms, “Sounds like you do, too, mi amor. Y’know, we have the whole house to ourselves, Mariposa. I want you to be loud for me while I touch you. Understand?”

Lost in the sparks of pleasure slowly building, your words get caught in your throat as one of your arms reaches up to wrap around to the nape of his neck. At the lack of response to his question, Joel pinches your clit before pulling his hand away.

“No, no, no, please. I understand. I’ll be loud for you, J. Please touch me…”

You grip the curls at the back of his head, biting your lip and opening your eyes again to look at Joel’s head at your side. His hand comes back, his thumb rubbing your clit while his middle finger sinks into you until the first knuckle. He keeps his eyes on your face, slowly working the finger in and out of your cunt, never giving it to you fully.

“Fuck, don’t tease me, Joel. Please, pretty please, gimme more.”

A deep chuckle rumbles from his chest, his nose nudging at your cheek to turn your head straight toward the tiled wall, pressing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw.

“You want more, Mariposa?”

“Pleasepleaseplease.”

“Mm, and are you going to be good? Give me all your pretty sounds that I love?” Joel pushes his entire middle finger into you now, holding it there, “If I give you what you want, you gotta be loud for me, pretty girl.”

“I will, I promise.” You wiggle your hips to get any more friction building, grumbling in frustration when Joel’s other arm tugs your hips back against him, strapping you to him like a seatbelt. The thumb against your clit leaves, and as you’re about to complain again, Joel adds another finger and starts to thrust them in and out frenetically, the heel of his palm rubbing the sensitive bud at the front of your folds.

A sinful moan rolls from your gut, bouncing off of the walls of the shower and drowning out the sound of the water for a few seconds. You can feel Joel’s satisfied smirk against your skin, his mouth dipping to the crook of your neck to suck at your pulse point and leave his mark. His hand continues its rapid pace, your legs bending as they start to give out the closer you reach to the edge. To attempt to hold your weight, you lean your arms against the tiles, feeling yourself being held up by Joel’s arm tightened across your hips.

“Fuck, Joel, feels so fucking good. Oh!” Your voice pitches up when his fingers graze that spot inside your walls, the sound catching in your throat. Joel pushes deeper with his fingers, hooking them to find that same spot and petting against it with small strokes of his fingers. The sounds coming from you are uncontrollable, head falling back against his shoulder as a mess of his name, lustful whimpers and whines, and wanton moans echo in the steaming shower.

“That’s it, pretty girl, I can feel how close you are. Nearly squeezing my fingers out of ya.” Joel’s small groan vibrates against your shoulder, his hard-on being pressed into your back and leaking pre-cum. You can feel yourself clench around his fingers, the edges of your vision blurring as you near your peak. “Gonna come for me, Mari? Gonna be a good girl and come all over my hand so you can be ready for my cock?”

His words are the final push, pleasure oozing around his fingers and dripping down your folds, warmth spreading in your body as your nerve endings tingle. You can hear yourself moaning his name, small encouragements spoken in your ear as Joel continues to fuck his fingers into you throughout your orgasm. When you’re fully present in your body again, Joel slips his fingers out of you slowly, turning your head and kissing you deeply.

“Need you so fucking bad, Mariposa,” he says against your lips, kissing you fervently before speaking again, “Wanna bend you over and make you take my cock, and you’ll tell me how good it feels filling you up. You want it, pretty girl?”

“Need it, J. Please, I need you so bad.” You kiss him this time, pressing your hips back and grinding against his cock, the rumble of a mouth muffled into your mouth as your tongues meld together. Joel pulls away and grips your hips, turning both of you so his back is facing the stream of water.

“Hands against the wall, amor, arch your back for me—” You follow his instructions with one of his large hands skimming along your spine, folded to an angle at your hips. “That’s it, baby. So good for me.”

Joel takes his cock in his hands, teasing his tip at your entrance and earning a whine from you. A dark laugh is heard faintly from behind you, an equally quiet sigh of relief when he gives you just the tip.

“Mm, fuck, Mari. Estás tan apretado, y húmedo, y cálido. Nunca me voy a cansar de este coño. (You’re so tight, and wet, and warm. I’m never going to get tired of this pussy.)” 

Before you can formulate any sort of response, despite not fully knowing what he said, Joel gives you a few more inches of his cock, stuttering out a moan from you before his hips set a rough, desperate pace. Grunts and groans, moans and whimpers fill the bathroom, your names exchanged back and forth as he fucks you from behind. His hands hold tightly onto your hips, digging in to surely form bruises to match the hickey at your collar, and to keep you from being rammed into the wall with how hard his thrusts are.

“More, fuck, gimme all of it, J. Want you to fill me up, make it hard to fucking walk straight.”

There’s a vibrating rumble that resonates in your own chest, Joel completely pulling out on the downstroke and heaving his chest up and down with shallow breaths.

“Fucking dirty girl. Mi chica sucia. Filthy, baby.” He runs his fingers down the line of your spine, still arched for him. You feel him lined up at your entrance again, whimpering for him and pressing your hips back to try to get him inside. Joel chuckles, shaking his head, “Mm, can’t get enough of my cock, can you, sweetheart? Greedy little thing.”

Your jaw drops open with a toe-curling moan, Joel’s hips thrusting his throbbing cock into your waiting cunt to fill you completely, the same rough and hard pace set as he makes you knock forward and brace against the wall with every movement.

“Take it, darlin’. Oh, fuck, aguantarla. Puedes aguantarla, mi dulzura. (Oh, fuck, take it. You can take it, my sweetness.)” Joel’s head rolls back with another guttural moan, tilting forward to watch his cock disappearing into your dripping hole. “Fuck, such a pretty pussy. And it’s all fucking mine, isn’t that right, Mariposa?”

“Y-Yes! Fuck yeah, it’s all yours, J. No one could ever fuck me like you,” you glance over your shoulder and he makes eye contact, a wide, knowing smile on his face. Your cunt clenches around his cock, his brutal pace hurtling you toward the edge. Just as you’re about to ask for that little bit more, he reads your mind and slips one of his hands around your front, errantly rubbing circles in your clit.

“Can feel you around me, Mari, know you’re close. You gonna let me fill you up with my come? Gonna milk my cock with your tight pussy?”

All you can do is nod, eyes shutting tightly as moans squeak out of you. One hand reaches back to grip his wrist as he keeps you right there at the edge.

“Say it, baby. Say it back to me and I’ll let you come. Give you just what you need.”

A deep breath brings enough air into your lungs to rasp out, “Please fill me up, Joel. Wanna milk your cock of everything you can give me, want you to be dripping out of me all day. Remind me of how only you can have my pussy.”

“Fuck yeah, that’s right, sweetheart. Such a good girl.” Joel eyes that you have a hand bracing you still, letting go of your hip as he fucks you, rubbing your clit continuously. He reaches his free hand around to your mouth, prodding his thumb at your lips and humming when you take it into your mouth and suck. After a minute, he pops out his saliva covered digit and brings it back to your body, pushing into the tight ring of muscle facing him. The sensation of stimulation at all three places barrels you to your high, pussy gripping his cock as everything tenses and pleasure rocks your body and clears your mind.

With the tightness felt in both holes around him, Joel takes one, two, three more thirsts before he’s spilling into you, ropes of come coating your walls and lazy jerks of his hips fucking it deeper into you.

After a moment, Joel pulls out of you slowly, gathering all that dribbles out of you and pushing it back inside with his fingers, causing a shudder down your spine.

The two of you come down from your peaks, the water running cold now. Still needing to clean yourselves, Joel washes your body while you shampoo and condition his hair as he folds over to gently exfoliate your legs. The tasks get swapped, Joel washing your hair while you wash his body.

Stepping out, he grabs a towel for you, wrapping it around you tightly and giving you a sweet, chaste kiss. He gets another towel for himself, both of you drying off and heading back into his bedroom to get dressed again.

You sit on the edge of his bed in your clothes from last night, one of his shirts pulled over your tank top and tucked into your skirt. As you comb your fingers over your wet hair, you look at Joel as he pulls on a pair of jeans standing next to his closet.

“Hey, I have a question for you, actually.”

“Shoot, darlin’.”

“Am I remembering correctly that last night when you came to the bar, you were acting a little jealous toward Colton? Did you think he was flirting with me or something and you got all possessive?” you giggle quietly.

Joel blushes and shakes his head with an overexaggerated eye roll. “Pffft, no. Don’t remember it happening like that, probably a bit clouded in your memory.”

Laughing more, you stand up and cross over to him, hands splayed on his soft tummy and head tilted away from him.

“Oh, sure. Sure, J, we’ll go with that if it makes you feel better.” Reaching up you give his cheek a gentle pat and wink at him, giggling faintly before he gathers you up in his arms and gives you a kiss.

“Good, 'cause it does make me feel better. ‘Sides can you blame me for getting a little jealous? We’ve waited like three years to get this right with each other, m’not letting it go.”

“Me neither, which is why you don’t ever have to be jealous cause it’s only you, baby.” You send him a wink and a grin, giving him a kiss before you both hear the front door open, Tommy’s voice echoing upstairs as he calls out for Joel. He looks down at you, biting his lip.

“I didn’t think he’d be bringing Sarah home this early. Uh, d’you mind that he’s here or should I jus’ say…” he trails off awkwardly, waiting for your thoughts on how to broach the fact that you’re over here, in Joel’s shirt and clearly have stayed the night with your wet hair from the shower.

“If you’re fine with him knowing, we can tell him. That is if Sarah hasn’t spilled the beans already.” Joel laughs faintly and nods, running his hands up and down your arms.

“That is highly possible. But guess we’ll have to find out when we head downstairs. And I’m apologizing now for any stupid shit my brother says.”

“You act like I don’t know Tommy already.”

“You don’t know Tommy as my girlfriend. He’s going to give you some shit, and he’s going to give a lot to me for keeping it from him.”

“Think I can survive Tommy Miller. Now, c’mon, get a shirt on, and let’s go. I need some coffee.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Joel descendsed the stairs ahead of you, rounding the corner into the kitchen and greeting his brother as Tommy pours himself a cup of coffee. Sarah is already at the table, cereal bowl in front her as she eats and reads her book. Joel grabs two mugs from the cabinet, earning a confused look from Tommy before you walk into the room, the confusion melting into mischief. His brother nudges at Joel’s arm and winks.

“Ah, así que esta es la razón de su aventura nocturna en la ciudad. Puedo ver por qué estabas tan desesperada por mi ayuda. (Oh, so this is the reason for your late-night adventure into the city. I can see why you were so desperate for my help.)”

Joel’s eyes roll into the back of his head, “Cállate, Tommy. Necesitaba que la llevaran a casa, así que le di una. (Shut up, Tommy. She needed a ride home, so I gave her one.)”

“Claro, claro. Un paseo. (Sure, sure. A ride.)”

“Pendejo de mierda (Fucking dumbass).”

“¿Qué? No estoy diciendo que haya algo malo en ello. Estoy feliz de ver a su hijo si significa que usted consigue algunos. Finalmente. (What? I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. I am happy to watch your child if it means you getting some. Finally.)” He laughs when Joel glares at him, Tommy crossing over to the table and covering Sarah’s ears. “Además, ella está jodidamente caliente. No sé lo que ve en un viejo como tú. (Plus, she’s fucking hot. Don’t know what she sees in an old man like you.)”

“Yo tampoco. Y deja de hablar de ella así. (I don’t either. And stop talking about her like that.)” Joel’s voice grits out the last sentence, his short fuse being tested with Tommy’s teasing this morning.

“No, realmente, ella es casi diez años más joven y podría conseguir a quien quisiera, pero ¿eres tú? Mejor empieza a apostar por los caballos, hermano. (No, really, she’s almost ten years younger and could get anybody she wanted, but it’s you? Better start betting on the horses, brother.)” His younger brother comes back to stand next to him, picking up his mug and taking a sip.

“Déjalo. (Quit it.)” Joel sends him another glare, grabbing the milk out of the fridge to add some to your cup.

“Maldita sea, tal vez tengo que contratar a una niñera para Sarah cuando está en mi casa. O tal vez la contrate yo mismo. (Damn, maybe I gotta hire a nanny for Sarah when she’s at my house. Or maybe I’ll hire her myself.)”

When Joel looks back at Tommy, he sees him eyeing you as you talk to Sarah at the table, smacking him upside the back of his head.

“Tommy, si no te callas la mierda ahora mismo, lo juro por Dios. (Tommy, if you don’t shut the fuck right now, I swear to god.)”

“Qué? Ella tu novia ahora? (What? She your girlfriend now?)” The young Miller questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Sí, lo es. Así que deja de hablar de lo caliente que es mi novia. (Yeah, she is. So stop talking about how hot my girlfriend is.)” Joel states matter-of-factly, shutting the fridge after returning the jug of milk.

“I understood some of that actually,” you say with a proud smile on your face, one of eager mischief on Tommy’s across the room.

Joel whips his head to you, wide eyes, “What did you understand?”

“You called him an asshole. Something about Sarah. The word girlfriend was thrown in there.”

Joel sighs quietly in relief, picking up your prepared mug of coffee.

“Oh, and something about you being old. And that your brother thinks I’m hot. ” Tommy sputters on his drink as he starts to laugh loudly, a deep blush warming Joel’s cheeks. You walk over to him and take the mug out of his hand, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. Cause you’re not old and Tommy just wishes he wasn’t single at thirty years old.”

Joel laughs and Tommy waves your comment off, rolling his eyes before winking at you, “Oh please, you wish you found me before this old man.”

“Sure, Tommy. You can think that all you want, but I met you both on the same day.” Joel barks out a laugh, a smug grin on his face from you holding your own toward Tommy.

Joel looks at his brother, a smile growing on Tommy’s face, “Well, maybe you needed to get your eyes checked that day, Posey. Cause you’d have to be blind to not pick me over the decrepit ass.”

“Y’know, I’m happy to set you up with one of my friends. She likes the type of cute guys who think they’re funny.”

“I know I’m funny, Posey, so not sure if it’s gonna work out. But yes, I would like to be set up with this friend of yours, please…” You laugh and nod, sipping your coffee before answering.

“I’ll work some magic for ya, Tommy.”

“I like this one, Joel, better keep her around so she can be my wingman.”

“You say ‘this one’ as if there have been others,” Joel rolls his eyes and continues, “And I certainly don’t need your advice on that front Tommy. She’s got me as long as she wants me, but please dear god, you should not be his wingwoman. Don’t subject yourself to that torture, Mari.”

The three of you chat to catch up, Tommy genuinely asking about your time in Boston and telling you how glad he is that you’re back around to make his people happy again. The comment swells your heart before your attention is pulled to Sarah as she asks about having a sleepover with you.

“I would love to throw a sleepover with you, sweet pea. I’ll bring over all the goodies to your house and we can stay in your room and watch movies and paint our nails and do all the fun girly things.”

“Yes! And Daddy and Uncle Tommy aren’t allowed ‘cause no boys.” She points at the two of them, both of them frowning and sighing.

“Can I at least be at home, mija?” Joel jokes, and the three of you laugh as Sarah seriously considers her answer.

“Yeah, that’s fine, but you gotta leave us to do the sleepover things ourselves.”

“Deal, Bug. I can do that.”

“Oh yes! It’s all decided then, we’ll have a sleepover when your week at camp is over.” You clap your hands together and grin, already planning everything you need to do this week to prepare for it.

“Damn, Mari, you brought a lot of stuff for one night with Sarah.” Joel eyes you from head to toe, a duffle on your arm, and shopping bags in your hands. He takes the plastic bags from you, holding the back door open for you before following you over to the island to set down all of your purchases. “You do know it’s only Sarah, right, darlin’? None of her friends are coming. This is a practice run for a sleepover.”

“I know, but I wanted to make the first girly sleepover she has at her house fun. I loved having my friends stay over when I was younger, and I dunno, you’re a boy so you don’t get it.” Rustling around in the bags, you start to pull out snacks and candy, along with fun new nail polishes and nail stickers, new hair clips, some young-girl-friendly makeup, and new pajamas for Sarah and you.

“Sweetheart, this is all really nice, but let me give you some money for it all. This is a ton of stuff.” Joel glances at the counter covered in supplies, and before you can answer he’s walking to the front door to get his wallet from the entryway table.

You call out after him, “I’m not going to take it so don’t bother trying! It wasn’t even that much anyway.”

Popping back around the corner into the kitchen, cash in hand, he shakes his head with a mocking laugh, “You’re funny. Even if it was five dollars, I’m giving you ten. Now please take the cash.”

Joel stops in front of you, hand out with a hundred in his hand. A dry laugh leaves your chest, pushing his hand away as you continue to sort through everything from the shops, “Not happening. This was way less than a hundred dollars too, so definitely not accepting that. Go put it back in your wallet, Miller.”

“You’re so goddam stubborn sometimes.”

“Oh, yeah, and you’re not?”

“Hey, I didn’t say that. I know I’m stubborn, that’s why this argument is happening. And why I am about to do this.” Joel steps behind you, slipping the bill into the back pocket of your shorts. You groan, fishing it out and shoving it back in his hand, pushing at his chest.

Joel rebuttals with another attempt, stepping toward you but you step back, backing around to the other side of the counter as he follows closely. You hold your arms out to keep space between the two of you, not being able to hold back a laugh as you start to pick up the pace in your cyclical chase.

“Joel! I’m not taking your damn money, leave it!”

“Mariposa, please, we both know I am way more stubborn than you and m’not gonna stop unless you take it.”

Shaking your head, you turn around to actually move into a speedwalk-jog kind of walk around the kitchen, serpentining your steps.

“Darlin’, I can still catch you if you walk like that.”

“Well, I’d like to see you try.”

Joel takes that statement as a challenge, suddenly catching up with you and wrapping his arms to your front, slipping the bill in the waistband of your shorts before letting you go, putting his hands up in the air.

Wordlessly, you snatch the money from your bottoms, throw it on the counter, and go back to the pile of purchases on the counter. After all of that, you start to unload the drinks in the fridge and open the pantry to throw the sweets and other snacks on one of the shelves. Joel stands and watches you, eyes going back and forth between following your movements to all of the things lying out, including the money.

A feeling kicks up in your chest, tightening your insides with a wring. Small moments send you back to feelings like these, unsupported by actual occurrences but your brain doesn’t care about what actually happens; it prefers the what-ifs. What if this doesn’t last, what if you’re too young, what if you’re too anxious, too broken, too much and it all comes crumbling from under you before you fully realize it? What if this is one of those moments you look back on as a sign? It’s taut and consuming, begging you to say something about it to release the corkscrew.

“If this is too much or if I’m overstepping a — I don’t know — a parental boundary 'cause she’s not my kid, and I know that, of course, but I wanted to do this for Sarah. M’not the nanny that you have to reimburse anymore, I just thought it would be fun to make it like how my sleepovers used to be as a kid…”

Joel’s brows stitch together with what looks like confusion or concern, rounding the kitchen island and standing next to you. A hand on your hip closest to him presses into the flesh there, turning you toward him as the other hand reaches up to tilt your chin to him. Your eyes avoid his, embarrassment heating your body with licks of flames.

“Can you look at me? Please?” His voice is unwavering but shy, boyish. You answer with a flick of up, meeting his own stare. “Mari, sweetheart, this isn’t about anything like that. I know you aren’t ‘the nanny’ anymore, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think you were ever just ‘the nanny’ to either of us. I was being pigheaded, and I didn’t want you to take on doin’ all of this yourself. It’s jus’ automatic for me to want to cover for Sarah, with any sort of activity. Not that I don’t want you to do all of this. I can’t even begin to explain how much it means to me that you care so much for Sarah. I’m just, I’m being her dad. And not giving you the means to do things for her yourself. M’sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, J. I should have better explained myself from the beginning. I want to be a part of your lives, I want to….I don’t know, I don’t want to take the place of her mom, obviously, but I want to be someone she can do girly things with if we’re gonna be together for a while—”

“Not if, Mari. I don’t plan on letting you go without a serious fight,” Joel’s thumb brushes against your cheek as he holds your gaze, “I am so grateful and so relieved that Sarah has someone like you in her life. ‘Specially right now with everything around her mom leavin’, you’re exactly what she needs. What we both need…I will take the money back. But next time we’re splitting it, and every time after that ‘til it’s time that it’s coming outta a joint account.”

When Sarah arrives home from her playdate, Joel retreats upstairs after ordering pizza for the two of you (and him, because he claimed he was gonna sneak down) to watch something on the small tv in his bedroom. You and Sarah changed into your new pajamas and got all of the snacks moved into the living room, trekking blankets and pillows and stuffed animals from her room and around the house to build a nest on the floor in front of the couch.

Sarah had chosen The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants out of the stack of movies you had rented, popping it in and sitting back with you while you had her pick out a color for her nails. The two of you talked about camp and the past school year, her confessing a crush she has on a boy in her camp group this year. There’s only a few details you get from her as you paint her nails, giggling with her when she gets shy and telling her about your first crush.

Sarah eventually is the one to paint your nails, turning out a bit messy and abstract during the process but nonetheless it was fun. As she’s finishing up a second coat on the last nail of yours, the doorbell rings for the pizza and Joel jogs downstairs a minute later to answer the door. Carrying the boxes over to the kitchen after he paid and tipped, he grins at you and nods to the set up.

“Is that every pillow in our house?”

“Well, no, you still have the ones on your bed cause you were sitting on ‘em,” you reply as you walk into the kitchen behind Sarah, fingers splayed apart, careful not to smudge. The younger Miller does the same, looking up at Joel when she stands next to the pizza box.

“Daddy, can you get the slices for me? I don’t want to mess up my nails that Posey painted for me. Look at them! They’re so pretty!” She raises her arms up to give Joel a look, his hand taking one of hers and inspecting it.

“Gosh, Bug, these are just gorgeous. Mari did a great job,” he grins at you, giving you a wink at the same time an idea pops into yours.

“I could do your nails, J. They could match Sarah’s!” Your suggestion is immediately supported by his daughter, her small stature jumping up and down in front of him.

“Yes, yes! You need to get your nails painted, Daddy!”

“Wasn’t this sleepover ‘no boys allowed’?” he arches a brow before he grabs a piece of pizza, plopping it on a plate for Sarah to take into the other room, “If I can stay for longer than it takes to paint my nails and hang out and eat your snacks, you can absolutely paint my nails.”

Sarah takes her plate from her dad, grinning ear-to-ear as she retreats back to the blanket nest. Joel makes a plate for you, carrying it out with his own and setting them on the coffee table. With a groan, he lowers himself to the ground, leaning his back against the couch and holding out his hands to you.

“Go for it, sweetheart.”

“D’you want the same thing as Sarah or something different?”

“Hmm, what d’you think, mija? Should we match?”

“I think you should give Daddy the color I gave you, Posey. It’s so pretty!” she leans back against you, using you as a backrest while she eats her pizza carefully with her wet nails, engrossed in the movie.

“Alright, guess it’s decided then. We’ll be matching,” you smile at him, taking one hand in yours to pull it closer, relaxing it against your thigh as you open the polish bottle. Concentrating on the tasks at hand, Joel wiggles his fingers when you aren’t in the midst of painting to get your attention, holding up a piece of pizza near your face.

“Eat, darlin’. Gotta fuel your artistic brain,” he winks and smiles sweetly at you, earning a quiet laugh before you lean in and take a bite chewing as you go back to painting. You switch hands after a few more bites, giving him a break to eat his own pizza and you yours while the three of you watch the movie. Once your job is done, you close the bottle tight and set it on the table, getting Sarah’s attention to look at it.

“How’d I do, Sare-Bear? Does your dad look pretty?” Her giggles pull some from all of you, nodding and clapping her hands together.

“Daddy, you need some of my pretty stickers and then Posey needs to take a picture with her camera.” Sarah stands and moves over to the pile of beauty supplies, grabbing the pack of nail stickers you bought and picking out a sheet. She sits next to Joel, stickering around his face as he closes his eyes and lets it all happen.

“Is this what happens all the time at girl sleepovers?” He peeks an eye open at you, getting a wide smile and shrug.

“Guess we’ll have to have some more for you to really find out.” Sarah steps back from her handiwork, and you pick up the Polaroid camera, lining up the shot from the side of Joel where there’s multiple star stickers clustered around his eyes. The shutter snaps when he looks at you, spitting out the image. You hand it to Sarah to watch it develop, showing you both quickly before going to hang it on the fridge along with a few other of your shots. You snap another of him looking at you directly, soft rounded eyes filled with affection.

Once you set the camera down, holding onto that photo for yourself, his hands find your thighs, running over the soft cotton of your PJ pants.

“Thank you for doin’ this for her, she hasn’t been this happy and giggly since before you left last summer.” Joel leans in, giving you a gentle, lingering kiss. “I love you. So, so much, Mari.”

Instead of answering, you give him another kiss before Sarah walks back in, settling between the two of you on the floor nest, cuddling up within your little unit of three to finish out the movie.

A few nights after your slumber party, you sneak over to Joel’s again before bed, using the key to the back door that he had made for you. He’s sitting on the couch, a line of sight to the door and a sleepy smile tugging at his lips when he sees you.

Padding your feet across the floors, you climb onto the couch next to him and curl your legs under you while you lean into his side. His arm wraps you up and his lips press against your forehead with a content sigh.

“Hi, Mari.”

“Hey, J.”

“How was your day, darlin’?” he asks as he turns off the TV, fingers ghosting up and down your bicep.

“Good, it was good. Babysat for the O’Connors today with the little baby. She’s so adorable, just a day full of baby giggles.” You grin and Joel smiles back at you, nodding along, “And then after that I drove to therapy and had that for an hour and then went home and waited to come see you.”

“M’very glad you’re here. Can’t sleep without you anymore,” he kisses your temple, “How was therapy, amor?”

“Today was a little hard. Talked more about maybe looking into medicine cause I feel like it isn’t fully there yet. But I do feel like I am happy. Like in my heart. My brain just can't keep up. Still have a lack of interest in things and not a lot of energy like I used to.”

Joel hums an acknowledgment, looking down at you on his shoulder, “M’here if you need to talk about anything, sweet girl.”

“I know. Thank you,” you give him a chaste kiss, smiling drowsily, “How was your day?”

“Pretty alright. Had to go fill in for someone who called in sick today at a job site so I’m exhausted from all the lifting and using machinery. But the framing is all done which means there’s something that looks like a house standing on the lot,” Joel chuckles softly and glances out the front window, “And then, uh, ran into your mom when I got home. She must’ve been running out for something but she stopped to talk and invited me and Sarah and Tommy to celebrate the Fourth with y’all.”

You sit up, grinning excitedly, “Really? Oh my gosh, that will be so fun. Our first official holiday together. Even though it’s just the Fourth of July. Kind of lame.”

Joel chuckles along with you, nodding his head and avoiding your eyes, “I mean, I told her yes ‘cause I didn’t think you’d mind. But the more I got to thinkin’, I guess, I just—I think I need some more time before we tell your parents about us.”

Your face falls before you can hide it, Joel’s hand immediately reaching to cup your cheek delicately, “M’sorry, sweet girl. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to do it at a family event and maybe it might be best if we can sit them down sometime to talk about it all.”

A slow nod keeps you quiet, in your thoughts, rambling out an agreement as you bring your eyes to Joel’s again, “Yeah, yeah, I understand. I agree. Would be best to wait a little while longer.”

“Thank you, darlin’. M’so glad you agree. We’ll find the right time, eventually,” Joel gives you a tender kiss, lingering against your lips for a few more dopey exchanges. He pulls away, standing up and gathering you up with him, leading you to his bedroom and getting into bed with you, “Night, Mariposa. Love you.”

“Night, J,” you reply meekly, the small sound of your voice easily brushed off as fatigue. Joel keeps you close, spooning you with his front against your chest, falling asleep behind you quickly. You can’t rest, especially after that short and decided conversation.

Why did you agree so easily? And why was he even asking for more time? His daughter knows, his brother knows, your friends know. What’s any different about your family? Is he afraid that if he breaks your heart he’ll have to move? But why would he even think about that possibility when all he’s told you is how much he loves you, how he’ll be yours until you want nothing to do with him anymore?

Every reassurance that he’s given you is flooding your mind, those doubts and fears worming their way into the sweet memories and poisoning them with twisted words.

Every time he’s said he loves you, does he mean it? Or is he only saying it to say it, to placate your anxieties about the future of you two by committing in a way?

Is this push back about telling your family a response to you not being ready to say ‘I love you’ back? Is he getting fed up with waiting for it?

Are you too much too quickly? Weaving yourself too tightly into his life and his daughter’s life? Is he going to start to drift, to put off telling your parents until he can end it?

These thoughts cycle in an endless loop, keeping you up while Joel sleeps soundly beside you. Nausea stirs in your stomach, rapid heart beating from the spiraling of your mind keeping you wide awake until the early hours of the morning.

The only way you can manage to fall asleep is turning in Joel’s arms, cuddling into his chest and breathing in his scent to halt the carousel of negativity in your brain long enough for his even breaths to lull you to sleep.

One last question flashes to you before you’re finally asleep:

 What happens when Summer ends?

taglist: @beskarandblasters @undrthelights @swiftispunk @joelsversion @asirenbyanyothername @ellenmunn @ja-ehyun @sw33tp1xie @marisemonteiroo @brunetteeras @beee-haw @jenna-mcgraw19 @whore-4-pedro @katifefe @joelmillerswifu @itsgiorgiaz @soph55 @wild-hearts-runfree @youcancallmeelle @jupitre @starkovli @thatgeminigirlx @livingdeadmaria @bunnyskisses @houseofballoonsth @casual-obsessions @pedro-pascal-lvr @bimbodolls-world @burningnerdchild @tuquoquebrute @mrsvedder12 @estelivi28 @bongsrconfusing @addictedtotlou @angie2274 @pedrostories @pedroholicx @theelishad @johnwatsn @elissaaa @felicityofbakerstreet @atinylittlepain @northernbluess @cannolighost

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Weeks in Review (September 10-30, 2023)

I adore Godzilla Final Wars, but it's a movie with an identity crisis, unsure whether it wants to be headlining a Toho Champion Festival or mesmerizing American teenagers at a mid-aughts multiplex. @spacehunter-m's Final Wars 2004: The Year We Make Corn-Tack gives it a strong tug in the first direction, whittling the runtime down to 77 minutes and replacing most of the music and sound effects. She was inspired by Space Warriors 2000, of all things; as she put it, both films are "largely comprised of nonstop, monotonous action." As in that bizarro Ultraman compilation film, the kaiju trash-talk each other. It makes you wonder why Ryuhei Kitamura didn't at least bring back the speech bubbles from Godzilla vs. Gigan. Kaiju fan edits are rare, and this is in a class all by itself. Download it here.

Shigeru Kayama's novelizations of Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla Raids Again are out—hopefully the first of many to come. My copy only arrived on Saturday, so I haven't had the chance to read the whole thing yet, but I've made it through Godzilla. It's interesting to see Kayama, who wrote the initial treatment, take another swing at the story after the film was finished. He puts back moments like Godzilla eating a cow and attacking a lighthouse, and is also more overt with the wartime allusions. There's an incredible moment where Dr. Yamane muses that studying Godzilla and learning his secrets could be Japan's way of redeeming itself after "caus[ing] a great deal of trouble to people throughout the world." Note that these are novella-length, so much less in-depth than the novelizations of American Godzilla films you might be used to (Godzilla Raids Again is less than 80 pages). The book ends with an afterword by translator Jeffrey Angles contextualizing the tales.

Godzilla: War for Humanity continues to be a standout IDW miniseries. There's a new and very weird monster in the second issue, plus a no-nonsense Mothra (she tries to recruit Godzilla to fight Zoospora by shooting him in the back of the head and dragging him into the ocean in front of Minilla).

I've also got to mention the solicitation for another Godzilla Rivals installment, due December 20. Nola Pfau is writing, Megan Huang is illustrating.

Jen Onça is not excited to start her new, fast-paced fast-food career at Minilla Burger, but she'd much prefer a mundane day to the sudden return of Megalon! The monster brings destruction, trapping Jen in a forgotten lab deep beneath the restaurant with only the half-built form of Jet Jaguar to help her get out! She must repair the robotic defender to save herself and the city, but first she needs to escape the rubble trapping her in this tense adventure!

Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo, Yoshikazu Ishii's follow-up to Attack of the Giant Teacher, has also been picked up by SRS Cinema. No release details yet. I can't really speak to the film either, since it screened at the same time as Yumiko Shaku's panel at G-Fest, but as you can see from the poster, it's set during the pandemic.

The GAMERA -Rebirth- Gyaos has joined Godzilla Battle Line as an unusual sort of swarm unit. Your first summon of the match calls forth two sub-adults, and by the fifth summon you're sending out two sub-adults and three adults, still for four energy. They're probably the best swarm in the game, though still highly vulnerable to AOE units like Godzilla '01. I'm having fun with them in the Challenge Battles.

Notzilla, one of the sharpest kaiju comedies out there, is unexpectedly getting the graphic novel treatment. Mitch Teemley is adapting his own screenplay, with art by Zumart Putra. The comic is already finished, although I'm not clear on how folks who didn't back the Kickstarter (which wrapped on September 11) will get it. Useless trivia: the terrific cover above (one of four) is by Ben Dunn, who wrote the How to Draw Manga book I poured over in middle school.

After Troll shattered Netflix streaming records (according to Netflix), it's not super surprising that the company wants a sequel. Priority one: coming up with a title that's not Troll 2. Screenwriter Espen Aukan and director Roar Uthaug will both return.

Toy highlights of the past few weeks:

After confusing everyone by teasing its silhouette the day before April Fools', Tamashii has fully unveiled an S.H.Monsterarts Godzilla '72, a rare Showa figure from the line. It comes with two heads, one of them bloodied (see above). Due at the end of February.

After finally running out of ways to repaint their mold of Hedorah's Perfect Stage, Bandai is making a Movie Monster Series figure of the kaiju's Landing Stage. A Godzilla Store exclusive, it'll be released October 25.

After over two years, Funko is releasing a trio of Godzilla Singular Point Pops. Hopefully they go all-out with this show—it's not like there's any other plausible way for a Satomi Kanahara figure to exist.

[siriuslyprincesssarah]

A little vent session

I find it so funny that the same people who are getting onto me about supposedly not properly tagging my story are now getting onto me about tagging my story improperly when the endgame is Harry and Hermione, and I have tagged it so from the beginning. Soulmates can be platonic and Harry and Hermione are for NOW, but soon it will change.

Hermione and Draco are a separate story, and what is of them within Enchanted will last four 1/2 total chapters. Two 1/2 which are already posted. The rest will be back to Harry and Hermione fighting each other until when they finally get together near the prologue. I did, in fact, tag it appropriately. As I stated to one reader, when we read a book in real life, we don't have pre-tags. When I started writing fanfiction, there were no tags at all. Many don't tag their fics, but I try my best to tag them to give people a heads-up. A few people just don't like it because I am including Draco. Who is important to the storyline starting during the next chapter.

I finally had enough, and I'm screening reviews. People are being rude and think they know everything and how it is going to be planned out. NO ONE knows everything. I have no beta. All I am is a school teacher who writes her ideas of what she wishes would have happened after the books out into the universe.

This story was conceived on a road trip to Washington, D.C., over one year ago. On my way down, I listened to Spotify and somehow was stuck listening to Taylor Swift's complete collection. Many of the scenes were Google transcribed to my notes after I heard a song and sent myself a note while driving. Since then, I've had an outline of how I wanted it to go. After sightseeing, I'd return to the hotel and work on my outline.

This story was never meant to go this long. Initially, I meant for it to be one chapter a year from 1998 to 2007, then end there—ten chapters total—but I couldn't end it there. It got away from me. Ten turned into 20. Twenty turned into 30. My outline has it sitting at 45 if I end it where I originally planned. I may or may not end it before that and create a sequel, though. We will see. Looking back, should I have gotten them together before 2007? Yes, but I started it in 2007, and the way things fall to make it there for certain things, it has to be 2007. I see Hermione as career-oriented and not settling down straight out of school. Of course, I was that way too.

Ending this rant, I beg my readers to please trust the process. I know there is a period right now that some are unhappy with. When the idea came to me, I knew people wouldn't like it. But putting her with Draco worked for four reasons. First, she has a relationship that no one would think she would and briefly tries to move on from what she feels she will never get with Harry. The second will be revealed next week. The third will be revealed in chapter 35. The fourth will be revealed in chapter 36.

Just bear with me and for those who have stuck around and have supported me here. I'll thank you for doing so. The father is. Harry :) Because, of course, it is, and it never was a question. I just wanted to build a little suspense.

Thank you so much for supporting me and reading this if you did.

[mustfindcreativeusername]

Granada Holmes season 1 thoughts

I (finally) started watching this with my grandma and my roommate, who decided to join us. Unfortunately grandma wasn't impressed (pacing) so she dropped it after ep 4. But me and my roommate are enjoying it! So now we're watching it together, 1 ep/day.

Anyway here are my very unfiltered thoughts. Straight from the notes app

--

1- SCAN (30 iul)

Yessss. I liked it. A lot. Loved the disguises, i didn't even recognise him in the first disguise.

..why did they change it to "Irena" tho?? At least that's how they pronounced it. Weird.

At least they didn't butcher her personality

2. DANC (31 iul)

I liked this but it seemed slower. And after they get the bad news i feel like it should've been a bit.. worse? At least make the wounds more horrible. And why is Elsie still in the house? They had time to get her to a hospital.

3. NAVA (1 aug)

I hadn't read this one so i didn't know what to expect. I liked it. We made a lot of fun of Percy. I thought at one point that he had hidden them and was playing it up but no, he really was that dramatic.

Poor Holmes hurt his hand :(

Also very funny, i actually hurt my hand like 10 minutes after the episode ended.

Like during the episode I was all "awww do you want one of my pink peppa pig bandaids :(" and guess what. Guess fucking what.

4. SOLI (2 aug)

Well well well

I enjoyed this

I especially enjoyed Holmes beating up that creep

I have not read this story either but i listened to the Sherlock and Co episode. So i kinda knew the basics but not too much, yk.

My roommate appreciated how polite Holmes was with miss Smith. And i was reminded of that one part in the books where Holmes said that he thought of one of his clients like his own daughter. (Don't know what story it's from tho, i only saw it in screenshots on here)

I think it had a good ratio of intense (the obvious) and funny (holmes being kinda mean to watson, the ending :) )

Also the whole wedding in the woods bit was insane. Who would really think that that's enforceable. Jeez.

5. CROO (4 aug)

I mean it was alright. The "david" thing was a bit weird? Especially because she muttered it in her sleep? Like i guess it's something like calling someone a karen but still. The fact that she still said "david" in her sleep was odd.

Also what... How could someone do that? Indirectly (try to) kill a person who trusts you bc you like their girlfriend. That's insane.

He had it coming. Too bad it took 30 years🤷

Also Holmes being mean to that guy in the beginning was hilarious.

Oh oh and Watson's deduction at the end? "Elementary, my dear Holmes" :)))) that was good. We cheered for him

6. SPEC (5 aug)

AAAHH YEAASSSS YESS FINALLY this is my favourite story from the books, it's one of the ones i read when i was around 10 and it was my favourite then and yeah. Love it.

But yeah loved to finally see it on screen. I imagined the snake bigger and spotty-er but yeah. Oh and i loved the interactions between Holmes and Watson. And between them and Miss Stoner. (I told my roommate if i see one more person describe him as cold and emotionless, I'm throwing hands)

I liked that Holmes kinda felt bad for bringing Watson along because it was so dangerous, only for Watson to immediately go anything for you Beyonce :))

And then in the room, his hand shaking? Quality content. Bc yeah. It's a wild animal, it's unpredictable. (Super stressed at the end when he picked it up?? In his hands?? Like yea the leash was there but bruh-)

Also poor Watson being woken up twice :)) (does Holmes know how to wake someone Watson up like a normal person? Unclear)

Also also- "my intimate friend"

Yes

7. BLUE (6 aug)

Right so i do know the original story but i read it a while ago. I still think it's nice that they let the guy go but i remembered him more sympathetic in the books. Idk. Also, did Holmes keep the stone? I thought it was a bit of an odd choice. And how were they able to free the plumber guy without the culprit or the stone? Ehh yeaah, odd.

Also is everyone forgetting that Holmes and Watson aren't the only ones who know that the carbuncle is with them??

Anyway

God he looked so different at the beginning of the episode, before he did his hair. Also my roommate made a comment about having cigarettes for breakfast and. Yeah, petition to have this guy eat a normal meal?? *Sigh*

Also why did we see Watson with a bunch of presents and then never saw any one of them opened? Chehov's Christmas presents. I wanted to see what he got for Holmes

(At least we have the Sherlock and co episode...)

[loneberry]

Yi Yi by Edward Yang

Kaili Peng (wife of Yang) + Haden Guest, Sean Yang (son)

This film has been on my watchlist for ages. When I saw the Harvard Film Archive was doing an Edward Yang retrospective, I waited to watch a glorious 35 mm print. The film was introduced by Yang's wife, pianist Kaili Peng, and son, Sean Yang. Sean spoke of his father's early death, about only getting to know his dad through his films. After the screening Kaili describe Yi Yi as a "prelude to his own passing," his last "love letter to the world." She described Yang as a moody and passionate person, prone to bouts of anger. Yet while making Yi Yi, he was always in a good mood--that "sweetness" (her word) is captured in the tone of the film. 

Why is it that the films of the Taiwan New Cinema + Second New Wave (especially Tsai Ming-liang) capture urban alienation so powerfully? What is the root of this melancholia? You'd think Taipei was the loneliest place in the world. I don't know. Maybe it is. I've never been, even though my father immigrated from Taiwan and I've long wanted to go there to scatter my grandfather's ashes. 

Yi Yi contains sadness and levity in equal measure. In that sense it is true to life. The adult characters are haunted by their disappointments. Min-Min is plagued by a lack of meaning she tries to counter with Buddhist retreats. NJ is troubled by the counterfactuals of his life—the career he did not pursue, the great love he abandoned, who he encounters 30 years later. The children repeat the disappointments of their parents, continuing the cycle, ad infinitum. Strange, the night before watching Yi Yi, I watched Abbas Kiarostami's Where Is the Friend's House?. Both films stage an encounter between a child and an elderly person as a way to meditate on life and time. In both films there is affinity between the child and old person, who exist on the outer edges of the life cycle. Yes, you can't help but feel, watching Yi Yi, that the little boy Yang-Yang is an old soul (see the films final lines). Yang-Yang is the film's comic relief. I love what that boy sees—the photographs he takes of the backs of people's heads, how I dreamed them (see the photos that open my Sunflower book). 

Ting-Ting, too, is beautiful in her loneliness. Her guilt, her insomnia. She dreams of relief: "Now that you've forgiven me, I can sleep." 

How am I supposed to address the dying? Every soliloquy to the comatose grandma is the character confronting themselves. NJ mumbles that speaking to someone in a coma is like praying. Do they hear you? Are your words sincere? 

The way the film is shot, too, adds to the feeling that the characters are self-enclosed. Much of the action takes place in cramped interiors. The camera is often placed outside the building or train, just beyond the windows, giving you the feeling the they are ensheathed by glass. The window becomes a nexus between the interior and exterior: in the glass we can see what is happening outside at the same time we are observing the facial expressions of the characters. The headlights of the nighttime traffic dance on a woman's face. This is truly the hand of a director with a powerful vision.

Kaili said, after the screening, that Edward's autobiography is manifest in many of the characters. Edward was turned down from piano lessons, as was NJ. The music only meant something to him after the first time he fell in love. 

What can I say. It's a beautiful film. Watch it.

[Read more film reviews on my Letterboxd.]

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Introducing The Rainbow Book Club

Introduction

In its bid to listen to fans, Storygraph has finally allowed for Book Club and I think it's great as it brings a bit more community into the app. This has been a long time over due and I'm absolutely buzzing with excitement.

For those who don't know advocating through reading is a huge passion of me. I'm a 100% on the train of trying to diversify your tbr and as a queer person I've felt it especially important to get queer literature out there. I've set up an Lgtbq+ Book Club at my college and hopefully at my university. Its a way to have a space for people to explore different queer books and find ones they might not even be aware of.

Its been fun running an in person Book Club so I knew I wanted to do one online so let me introduce you too...

What Is The Rainbow Book Club?

Under a much better name then Lgtbq+ Book Club, The Rainbow Book Club is going to be an online Book Club open to everyone that will focus on reading and discussing Lgtbq+ Books. All books will be books that are labelled as and include Lgtbq+ representation.

The goal of this book club is to get people to essentially read with pride and each month on the Storygraph a poll will go up so that people can vote for the queer book they want to read. Unfortunately it'll have to be queer books I've read as it's harder to do an online Book Club without having read the book.

It'll run entirely online with this year's sessions being sometimes on tik tok live whilst other times zoom. From January 2025 though all book club discussions will be hosted on my tik tok live. Depending on circumstances as I'm aware America is potentially gonna have the app banned all together. I'd love to do zoom but I think larger numbers are more likely to be on live streaming.

When Will The Book Discussions Take Place?

All Book Discussions will take place on the last Sunday of each month from 8:30 GMT in order to give non UK folk a chance to join if they want too. So for example May and June's meetings will take place on the 26th and then the 30th. Unless I get ill or promptly too tired or something comes up, I intend to stick to the schedule.

I'll also be hosting readalongs on the side of Storygraph for anyone who just wants to take part on the reading side and not the discussion part.

For the first meeting we will be discussing Pageboy By Elliot Page. I thought I'd be best to starting with a queer book I've recently read in order to refresh the mind. On the 26th of May I'll be hosting a live stream discussion about Pageboy on my tik tok @fierymelody and will invite those to take part in the discussion on screen if they wish to be part of the live. I'll last from an hour as I won't be constraint by not paying for zoom.

Conclusion

I'm very excited to have set this up and I hope that it can evolve and gain more members once I've got into the flow of things better. Pageboy and Loveless are the first two picks and I'm excited to get many more after June's ended. Although the polls are still gonna consist of books I've read I'm sure the discussions are gonna be super interesting. Won't spoil but I certainly have some interesting thoughts about Pageboy.

I hope things go well and I'm gonna try get my tbr more diverse so that there's more diverse poll choices. I'm very excited to get this started. I've also made rules banning problematic authors and I'm gonna do my best to stick to that. Hopefully despite starting uni this year I can make things work. I'm really looking forward too it.

I'm sorry to say but after having both Storygraph and Goodreads, Storygraph has way better visually looking book club page. Now book clubs are here I hope it gets Storygraph haters quieter about the fact it had no social connections but now it does.

I use both but prefer Storygraph.

For those interested see you May 26th.

-Melody-

They/Them

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Yours, Forever | Chapter 5

PAIRING | Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 3.7K

SUMMARY | Y/N finds out about the bar exam, and has to share the great news with everyone. She realizes she has to tell Bucky she will be going on a trip to Italy for 3 months with Eve, but she doesn't know he has a surprise planned for her.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Swearing, smut [ oral (f receiving), fingering, squirting, light praise kink ].

A/N | Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading my first ever fic! I would like to start off by saying that English isn’t my first language (I’m Dutch after all 😉) so every mistake you find – spelling or otherwise – is completely my own. I would appreciate you spreading the love about this fic, and I ofcourse hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist | Series masterlist | Chapter 4 | Chapter 6

'Doll, you should look at the screen, because you're going to work for S.I. very soon', those words just kept bouncing around in Y/N's head, just like the kiss she shared with Bucky. Those soft lips, the even softer kiss they shared after she found out she's going to take the oath and becoming a lawyer. The kiss that neither of them wanted to pull away from, but it just felt right in that moment. All the excitement and love poured into that one kiss, it felt like heaven on earth. Her hands on his broad chest just felt right, like they always belonged there. The look in his eyes when she pulled way told her everything she wanted to know. He wants her too, just like she has been wanting him since their first meeting.

Suddenly, the realization came rushing back that she would be leaving for the 3 month trip around Italy soon, and she couldn't bare to tell Bucky that she had to leave, so soon after they finally found each other. She decided to worry about that after this conversation, because she had to tell her dad the good news first. She went to the bakery right away after she found out, she just couldn't wait until she saw him again tonight. She opened the door and the familiar smell of the bakery was hanging in the air, her dad as excited as always to see her. ''Hey sunshine, your glowing like the actual sun!'' he welcomed her with a big smile on his face. ''Well, that's because I have some great news to share with you dad. I just found out I passed the bar exam, so I will officially become a lawyer! The results were posted online about 30 minutes ago, I came here right away to tell you!'' she said, but her face got flushed with the memory of the kiss with Bucky.

''I have a feeling I'm not the first to hear about this news?'' he said with a knowing smirk on his face, because Tony had secretly kept him up to date about his plans to play cupid for Y/N and Bucky. ''Okay, you got me, but can we not talk about that here? I don't want everyone to know, dad...'' she said shyly. They walked into his office in the back of the bakery, and shut the door so the staff knew not to interrupt them. ''Over the last year, I kind of developed a... a little crush, I guess... on Bucky. The night of the party he came to help me when you went to get Tony, and ever since then we have bonded a lot, mostly over books and things like that, and somewhere along the way I started to get feelings for him. It feels like he is my soulmate, dad, but I'm still scared, especially after what happened last time...'' she continued as tears welled up in her eyes. Her dad grabbed her arms softly and rubbed loving circles with his thumb in order to sooth her a little bit, patiently waiting for her to continue.

''But I haven't told anyone how I felt yet, well besides Tony obviously, I'm well aware he told you about Bucky. He's not as smooth as he thinks he may be sometimes...'' she said followed by a soft chuckle. ''Well, I accidentally ran into him when I was going to look at my results and he noticed I was nervous, so he offered to look at them with me, so we did. Out of my excitement that I passed I kissed him, and it felt so right dad, it honestly felt like the world just faded away and we were the only people left. Then I remembered I'm going to Italy with Eve next week, and I'll be gone for three months and I don't know how to tell him that because I don't want to break his heart, or my own for that matter.'' she finished with a deep red hue on her face. ''I don't want to hurt him by giving him the feeling that I'm running away for three months right after this happened.'' she stated.

Her dad took her face in his hand and said ''Sunshine, first of all I'm happy you passed the exam, but we will come back to that later. I honestly think you should tell Bucky how you feel, or at the very least let him know that even though you will be leaving next week, it is not because of your kiss. He will understand, you had this trip with Eve planned for 8 months now, I'm sure he'll get that you're not leaving because of him. Judging by the things Tony told me, Bucky practically worships the ground you walk on, he noticed every little glance he threw your way. The least you can do is tell him you're going, you owe him that much, sunshine.'' and Y/N knew her dad was right as always, he knew just the right things to say. ''You're right dad, thank you for listening to me, I'm glad I will always have you to confide in.'' and she pulled him in for a big hug.

She asked her dad for some treats for Tony and all the other Avengers, so she could tell them the good news, because she would be seeing them a lot more after becoming a lawyer and working at the Compound. Once she arrived back at the Compound, she noticed all the Avengers were back, and asked JARVIS to send everyone to the big conference room in 2 hours for an important meeting, which he did. She took her laptop from her dad's bakery with her this time, so she still had time to FaceTime Eve before the meeting with the Avengers. ''Hey Babe, what's going on?!'' Eve asked with a worried face, and suddenly Y/N realized it is 4 AM back in the Netherlands, she woke up her best friend.

''Oh god Eve, I'm so sorry I woke you up! I have some incredible news to share and I couldn't wait for another week to tell you... You know I took the bar exam a couple weeks ago right? To become a lawyer in New York? Well, I FOUND OUT I PASSED THE EXAM! I'M GONNA BE A LAWYER!'' she exclaimed and happy tears trailed down her face, the excitement finally coming out. Eve and Y/N celebrated for a little bit before she went back to sleep, they said their goodbyes and not long after that, the Avengers came in one after the other. She introduced herself to everyone she hasn't seen yet - Scott, Sam, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Thor and Loki - and gave a big hug to Steve who already knew what happened since Bucky couldn't keep his mouth shut. Then Bucky walked in after him, and the two of them immediately got a red flush on their faces, remembering the kiss a few hours ago. They gave each other a hug anyways, and held on for a bit longer than usual, not wanting to let each other go.

When everyone sat down, Tony and Pepper walked in together, Y/N practically running up to the both of them, almost pushing them over in her excitement and the hugs she gave. ''Ah, now I understand why we were asked here, Tony is leaving Pepper for her...'' Sam scoffed but got a piercing look from Bucky and Steve so he immediately shut up. Once everyone sat down, she firstly introduced herself to everyone. ''Well, hi everyone, as you know by now I'm Y/N Y/L/N. During the party a year ago Tony announced I would maybe be working for S.I. as head of the legal department and as his lawyer, and as you may have guessed by now, I will officially be taking on those roles as soon as I have taken the oath in a couple of months.'' Bucky and Steve had an incredibly proud and loving look on their face, the other Avengers whooped and applauded loudly. Tony and Pepper had such big smiles on their face, Y/N was sure they would rip in half if they didn't stop smiling soon.

Tony was the first to get up and walk towards Y/N, picking her up in a big bear hug. ''I told you you would pass it! I always believe in you honey, don't you ever forget that. Congratulations! Have you told your dad yet?'' he asked when he put her down, and Y/N nodded, saying she told him right after she got the results. She glanced over at Bucky, not wanting to tell him about the kiss in front of everyone. Next up came Pepper, ''We're so incredibly proud of you, honey, we really are. Welcome to the family!'' she said, and Y/N acted a little offended and scoffed that she already was part of the family. There were more congratulations coming from the room, and she thanked everyone. ''Now that the meeting is over, you can all go back to what you were doing before, I still have some work to do!'' Y/N said.

All the Avengers came by for a hug and to congratulate her personally, Nat and Wanda saying they should get together for a girls night soon so they can get to know Y/N better since she will be part of the family now. Thor and Loki were the last ones to congratulate her and leave, leaving only Y/N and Bucky in the room. He didn't want to go just yet, and she didn't want him to go either. Y/N closed the door and walked up to Bucky to tell him she would be leaving for three months, but before she had the chance to do anything she was swept off her feet by Bucky. He gently put her down on the table and stood between her legs, softly cupping her cheeks with his big hands. ''You know, ever since you kissed me earlier, it was all I could think about, how I want more of those. It just felt so right, and I would like to congratulate you again.'' he said with lust filled eyes looking into her own.

Bucky slowly closed the gap between them again, and when he felt her soft lips against his again, his brain instantly turned to mush and all he could think about was her lips, and how soft she felt under his hands. She wrapped her legs around Bucky's waist in order to pull him even closer and put her hands over his shoulders. He licked her bottom lip for entrance which she happily granted, their tongues exploring and tasting each other like it was a matter of life and death. After a little while they became slow, loving, lazy kisses as if they have done it a million times before. They finally leave and Y/N realized she was absolutely dripping with wetness, her panties positively soaked and she felt Bucky's erection against her thigh. As much as she would have wanted him to fuck her right then and there, she still had to tell him about the Italy trip.

Softly panting, Y/N said his name, but it didn't register at first. ''Bucky!'' she said again, and he finally stepped back a little and looked at her. ''I have to tell you something, and I'm not quite sure about the best way to do it so I'm just gonna say it. I'll be leaving to go on a trip to Italy next week, and I'll be gone for three months. I'm sorry.'' she said with a hurt look in her eyes, feeling her heart being shattered. ''I'm going on a road trip through Italy with my best friend from the Netherlands, Eve, and we will be gone for three months to catch up, and enjoy life before I will be a lawyer and all that.'' she said, seeing the same hurt in his eyes. He took another step back, letting go of her completely now. ''Three months?!'' he said in his deep voice, but softer than normal. ''How am I supposed to survive three months without you there?! I don't think I'll be able to survive for that long without those amazing kisses, and the way your breath feels against my neck when we cuddle, your soft touch against my skin when I touch you...'' he said, but he knew he didn't want to be the reason she stayed behind.

~ The Italy trip ~

Right before she was supposed to go to the airport, Bucky showed up at Tony's office where Tony and Y/N were catching up before she had to go, and Tony offered to drop her off at the airport. Right at that moment, Bucky walked in and said ''I can do it!'' quickly and he almost tripped over his own feet, getting a chuckle out of Y/N at the sight. ''I can drop you off at the airport, I'm sure Tony is busy right?'' he said with a pointed look, and suddenly Tony pretended to have way more work than he actually did, so Bucky could drive her. When they arrived at the airport and it was time to say goodbye, Bucky gave her a present, and he said she was allowed to open it once she arrived in Italy. ''Wow, thank you Bucky! I can't wait to find out what it is!'' she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him in for a hug, her head resting in the crook of his neck. When they let go they couldn't help but kiss one last time, since it would be the last time for three months they could. It was just the two of them so they quickly deepened the kiss, not caring for the strangers that could see them. After they let go, Y/N waved goodbye and sent him a kiss through the air, and his cheeks got deep red at the sight.

Y/N and Eve decided to meet up at the airport in Venice, since that is where their journey would start. The two of them haven't seen each other in almost a year now, and the reunion was filled with lots of hugs, laughter and even more tears. ''Babe, I'm so happy I get to spend the next three months with you, I missed you so much!'' Eve said, and all Y/N could do was agree. They headed to the hotel they would stay at for the first two weeks, and they plopped down on their beds, just wanting to sleep. The time difference for Eve wasn't a problem, but after more than a decade in the US, Y/N really did have a big problem with the time difference. Before she could even think about anything else, she fell asleep, and slept until the next day.

''Goodmorning babe, you ready for a new day?'' Eve asked, deciding to let Y/N sleep for as long as possible since she needed it in order to get over het jetlag. ''I am! But I just remembered I still have a present I have to unpack. Bucky gave it to me yesterday, and I was so tired I didn't even have time to open it yet.'' she said. ''Bucky? I don't think you've mentioned him before?!'' Eve said with a knowing look, she knew her best friend like the back of her hand, and Y/N decided to tell her later about him, first she wanted to open the present. It was wrapped in beautiful gold wrapping paper, she opened it very carefully. Inside was a journal in the same shade of red as the lipstick she always wore, on the front it said ''Y/N's travel journal - Italy 2023'' in beautiful lettering done in white. She immediately knew this had to be Steve's doing, since he loved doing artsy stuff like that.

''Oh wow, that is incredibly thoughtful of him, I like him already!'' Eve said. ''Is there anything inside?'' she asked, and Y/N opened the journal to find a picture of all the Avengers and Pepper holding her baby bump, with a note on the back saying ''We wish you a lot of fun, and can't wait to hear all your stories when you're back! Lots of love from your Avengers family''. That is when she also noticed something in the front of the journal, Bucky wrote something himself on the first page.

'So, you landed safely, huh? I would love to make sure you're safe, so please shoot me a text when you read this.' with an arrow pointed towards the inside cover where he wrote his number. 'I am incredibly lucky to know you, and I can't wait to tell you that every day for as long as you'll have me when you come back. When you arrive in Pisa in 2 months, make sure to look for some familiar faces who will be very happy to see you. ;) Doll, I hope you will have the best vacation anyone has ever had, and I can't wait to receive more of those special kissed from you. ~ Bucky'

After reading this, she had tears in her eyes and she grabbed her phone right away in order to put his number in it and text him.

Doll ❤️: [ Hey Bucky, it's me, Y/N! I just opened your present and I wanted to thank you, this means the world to me! I can't believe you managed to get everyone into the photo, and I also can't wait to see all of you again. Also, dare I ask about who I will be seeing in Pisa in two months?! 👀 ]

Bucky 🖤: [ Hi doll, I'm glad you got there safe and sound. And no, because I won't tell you 😉 ]

After this, Eve and Y/N decided to go lay by the pool for the day after changing into their bikini's that they got especially for this trip. They took a book, a towel and their sunglasses down too, but they both knew they wouldn't read a single word, especially after Eve found out about Bucky and she wanted to know everything. Y/N's mind wandered when they were laying poolside, and all the thought about was Bucky, about the things she wanted him to do to her when she finally got back.

''Doll, please spread those pretty legs for me, so I can have my breakfast.'' Bucky said with a smirk on his face, looking in your eyes when he sat down on his knees, in between your legs, his hands softly running up her thighs until they reached the place she needed him so badly. Bucky trailed the fingers of his vibranium hand through your folds gathering the wetness that already pooled there, even though he hadn't even touched you yet. ''So fucking wet for me already doll, you're such a good girl for me.'' he said praising her. He slowly pushed two of his fingers inside, and started rubbing her clit with thumb. ''Oh god Bucky yes, right there!'' you exclaimed and you ran your hands through his hair in an effort to pull him to your soaking cunt, so he could lick and suck there until you couldn't walk straight.

''Bucky please, I- I-...'' is all you could say when he picked up the pace with his fingers, pushing them inside up to his knuckles while continuing to rub your clit in circles, your orgasm creeping up on you faster than you would like to admit. ''B-B- Bucky, I need you to.. to.. lick me until I cum! So close!'' she said, and Bucky did as he was asked, knowing what all this stimulation would do. He was here to get all of it, and he hummed a little bit to get you even closer to the edge. All he could hear were loud moans, whines and something that was supposed to be his name, but he is licking and fingering you so hard you can't think straight, only chasing the high he wanted to provide.

He kept going and suddenly your orgasm washed over you, making your legs tremble around Bucky and your eyes roll back together with your head. You feel yourself squirt your juices all over Bucky's fingers, face and the bed, but you don't care, you enjoy every last moment of this orgasm while Bucky coaxes you through it with his fingers. ''Fuck doll, I fucking love it when you squirt all over me, makes me feel so good to know you're my good girl.''

She got ripped out of her thoughts when she felt Eve tapping her arm again, she has been trying to get your attention for a while, not being successful until now. Suddenly Y/N realizes her phone is ringing, and she quickly picks up without looking at the caller ID. ''Hello, this is Y/N?'' she said in Dutch, not realizing that no one except Eve has your American number so you felt stupid already. ''Hmm doll, you can talk to me in Dutch more often if it always sounds like that.'' Bucky said, and Y/N got flushed right away. ''Uh, Bucky hi, I'm sorry I didn't realize it was you calling. Are you okay?'' she asked. ''Yeah I'm fine, just wondering how you were doing, I missed you actually. I'm going on a mission for the next 1.5 months and I can't talk much, so I decided I'd call you now that I still have the time.'' he explained. You talked a little bit about Italy, how it was, the mission, and stuff like that, before he had to go.

The next 2 months flew by like it was nobody's business, and Y/N and Eve were finally on their way to Pisa. Y/N wrote a lot in her journal, talking about all the things she did with Eve, as well as some dreams she had about Bucky. When they arrive in their hotel in Pisa they get settled and Y/N texts Bucky that she arrived at her next destination, and he wishes them a lot of fun, and he hoped that him and all the others being there for a week would be as amazing as he hoped when he planned it. He just couldn't wait to see her face again, and to kiss those soft, cherry red lips again.

[jupebox]

good grief it took me over a month to finally finish my hourlies from this year but i did finish them!!!! watercolor on a weird accordion notebook i found in my paper stash. i bought myself some fun sparkly and color changing watercolors on etsy and tested the sparkles out for shiny fuecoco and the “ALEX!!!” panel, so, included a closeup of those at the end so you can see the sparples.

Transcript provided below the cut for people who can’t read my chicken scratch!

6:40 “i need to get an autofeeder”

i am sleeping. my alarm starts beeping, and immediately my cat begins screaming at full volume, leading me to her empty food bowl. Once I put food into the bowl, the scream morphs into eating noises. with a dead-eyed stare, i contemplate this. my father says “good morning!” after a pause, I reply “no, good night”. the munching noises continue through all the final panels.

7:20 “i should enable do not disturb”

i am back asleep. my phone buzzes with a “bzzt”. On the screen is a picture of a bunny and a message that reads “LOL that’s totally my bunny!!”. i put the phone down, thinking “cute”. after a beat, I look back up and my internal monologue says “oh god i said so much stupid stuff in yesterday’s interview. there’s no way i’m getting that job now. aaaauuuugh brain shut UP”. The last panel is a small zoomed out drawing of me upset and screaming aaAAAAaaa

8:40 “undending regrets”

i am still in bed. my phone buzzes with a “bzzt” again. The screen says “interview: thanks for the email! feel free to ask any questions! :) - name”. the last panel is a zoomed in closeup of my upset face, surrounded by my internal scream of “I SAID SO MUCH STUPID STUFF”

9:40 “do it for him”

i am STILL in bed, but annoyed, when my phone buzzes with a “bzzt” again. This time the screen says “bro: hey when do we need to book kirby cafe stuff”. the last panel is me typing furiously on the phone while thinking “yeah I’ll wake up for that”

10-10:30 “too bad about those 530 fuecoco eggs”

I am playing pokemon on my nintendo switch. I say “ah. my whole team is physical attackers, huh”. the screen shows a tinkatuff, a flamigo, and the top of a veluza. The last panel shows a rabsca, with the text “except for the one that sucks, huh.”

10:30-11:15 “cleaning the bathrooms + harrow the ninth”

I am wiping down the counter in a bathroom, wearing headphones. text across the top of the panels reads “...because in those eyes, you were already dead. Your 18th birthday passe-” and is interrupted by me looking up, incredulous, saying “18???” loudly. “HARROW IS 18!? BABIES!!!” I say, while holding cleaning supplies. The last panel is just text that reads “i am absolutely mercymorn.”

11:25 “going for a walk outside!”

the first panel is a drawing of me, all bundled up. there are labels pointing to all of the warm things I am wearing - hat, scarf, hoodie, fingerless gloves, turtleneck. The second panel is me surrounded by people in tshirts. the text says “Forecast: 45F and sunny. I am a californian.”

11:30-12:05 “priorities”

i am walking by the river with my friend and infodumping about my pokemon troubles. I am saying “...and even after like 600 eggs we STILL didn’t hatch any shiny fuecoco”. “oh my god” she replies. “wait.” she says in panel 2, with a consternated look on her face, “so, winning a boss battle with items is “tedious” but spending 10 hours breeding eggs is a fun challenge?” a tiny chibi of me holds up a finger and says “listen.” in the last panel, as though this were any kind of defense.

12:05-12:15 “impeccable timing”

my friend is walking toward her car; we have finished our walk. “lunch at that indian place?” she asks. “yeah! i don’t actually know the address but i’ll google it” i confirm. “ok, see you there!” she says, and then leaves. in the second panel I type “indian” into google maps. in the third panel my phone fucking dies. in the last panel, i stare down at it with a customer service smile, text above my head “r u srs”

12:20 “little white lies”

we’re sitting down at a booth in the indian restaurant (i did finally manage to reboot my phone and get there but that’s another story). My friend is looking around while holding a glass of water. she says “my friend was upset when i said i was checking out this place without her”. “oh no!” i reply, “should we go somewhere else?” my friend waves off my concerns in panel 2 with a “nah, it’s fine. let’s see if it’s as good as she said”. Just then, our food arrives. The third panel is drawings of the food we ordered, with my star ratings and descriptions next to each. they are:

veggie biryani: 1.5 stars. flavorless & wet. veggies good tho

cauliflower pakora: .5 stars. flavorless & dry. somehow worse with the sauces

chicken tikka masala: 3 stars. rice was fine. sauce was fine. spice level ok. best thing we got

garlic naan: 2.5 stars. as crunchy garlic bread, delicious. as naan, useless

panel 4 is a top down view of us contemplating our empty plates. in the last panel, my friend is sweating and thinking hard, and says “when she asks me if it was good i dunno if i’ll be able to lie.” i encourage her “be strong”

1pm “and i get to pet her every day!”

my friend and i have gone to my house. we are knelt down on the floor trying to entice my cat to come closer. i am saying “hey business! wanna come meet my friend?” my friend is making “pss pss pss” noises. business peeks around the corner and cautiously approaches our outstretched hands. as soon as we reach for her, she shrinks away warily though, while my friend says “oh nope ok”. she finally acquiesces to being touched, but is highly suspicious. my friend says “oh! she is SO soft!’ and I reply with “ikr”

2pm “i want a rematch”

we are playing wingspan and tallying points. I have a phone in my hand, using the calculator app. in the first panel I say “so after adding up my birds, eggs, tokens, tucked birds, round points, and bonus cards, my total is-” in panel 2 i squint at my phone. panel 3: “how many points did you have”. my friend says “uhhh 73?” with a shrug. in panel 4 i flip the phone around to reveal that the score in the calculator app is 72. my friend is delighted and surprised in panel 5, saying, “i won?” I scream in outrage “BY ONE POINT”

3pm “jump to recipe”

This is a text heavy comic. in panel one there is a drawing of a vegetable in a strainer in a sink, with the text “my mom & i trade off cooking. today i’m making chinese broccoli!” panel 2 shows me cutting the ends off of the chinese broccoli, with the text “i had a few things i really wanted to learn to make when i took up cooking, & dim sum-style gai lan was near the top of the list”. the last panel says “i’ve now prepared it enough times that i don’t need to look up the recipe anymore!” and the picture shows the ingredients - sliced ginger root, 1 pound gai lan, garlic, enough water to cover the gai lan, 1 tsp baking soda, 2-3 tsp salt

4pm “5 stars!”

I am lounging on the couch, texting someone while my cat is on top of me. “made rin’s cheater chicken soup today!” i text. “oh yeah?” “yeah!” the second panel says “i just subbed the gai lan cooking liquid for the chicken broth, whatever veggies we had in the fridge for the frozen veggies, and pork potstickers for the chicken wontons!” each substitution is accompanied by a little drawing of the intended ingredient and the replacement. the last panel reads “... so you made a completely different recipe.” “yeah i sure fucking did huh”. i stare off into the distance with tears tracking down my smiling face, with a tiny “gomen” next to my head.

5pm “noble snacrifice”

each panel has a caption and small drawing. panel 1: “i overcooked....... the soup.........” with a drawing of a large pot of soup. in the pot there are indistinguishable vegetables, labeled “formerly: baby bok choy. now: mush, sad, unappetizing”. panel 2: “the textures are all wrong....” i am eating the soup with a tearful face, saying “weh”. panel 3: “but business was asleep on my feet & i couldn’t turn off the burner in time...” with a drawing of business asleep and purring

6pm “watching recovery of an mmo junkie”

i am sitting in bed with a laptop on my lap, leaning forward, invested, saying “does sakurai have the brain cell???” in the second panel i am making a victorious pose and shouting “HE DOOO” (fuck yeah!) while the laptop goes flying

7pm “friendship is magic”

i’m still lying in bed on the laptop, when my phone buzzes with another “bzzt”. The notification reads “joltik tagged you in a tweet”. panel 3 is a drawing of a tweet from “edelgard stan 4 lyfe (@tinyjoltiks)” that is just “@jupeboxal” and an image. the image is of a shiny fuecoco, with the text “fuecoco hatched from the egg!” the last panel is a chibi drawing of my overwhelmed and joyfully tearful face, with an enormous “ALEX!!!!” caption

8pm “tOo BaD aBoUt ThOsE 530 fUeCoCo EgGs”

it is a single panel. the panel is a 5 x 11 grid of tiny non-shiny fuecocos as you might see in a box view in pokemon scarlet/violet. There is a text dialogue at the bottom of the panel that says “Would you like to save your progress and start the Surprise Trade?”

9pm “no seriously where can you buy these”

In the first panel I am peering at a bookcase full of notebooks and art supplies, thinking “hmm what should I draw my hourlies on?” in the second panel i am selecting one notebook and thinking “i gotta have some watercolor paper somewhere”. the last panel is me stretching out an accordion watercolor journal with bugged out eyes, thinking “THIS IS SO COOL??? WHERE DID I GET THIS???”

10pm “she never leaves you guessing”

i am in bed again but now I am drawing in the watercolor notebook with little “skitch skitch skitch” sound effects. a large brightly-colored “MOW” yelling bubble appears at the bottom of the panel. the second panel is overlapping MOW” speech bubbles surrounding me, no longer drawing. panel 3 is from my perspective, of the door to my room, where my cat is screaming “MOW” with a hair tie in her mouth. In the last panel, I have put down the notebook and am sitting up saying “ah. it is play time.” while my cat stands demandingly on the bed, having dropped the hair tie in front of me, with a very long loud “MOOOOOOOW!!!” spanning the entire panel in the background

11pm “it’s something”

a drawing of the accordion watercolor notebook, unfolded. Outside of the notebook, the text reads “finally working on hourlies!” with sparkles surrounding the word “hourlies”. inside the notebook there is a sketchy drawing of the first comic, the one from 6:40. the next page of the notebook says “...hourly”. the next page says “i did one.” the next page has a drawing of the “it’s something” rage comic person, and the page after that says “it’s something.”

[bryan360]

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(NO COPYING OR PLAGIARIZING FROM ME AND ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIEND’S WORK! THAT INCLUDES OUR CHARACTERS, DESIGNS, STUFF, ETC. IMPOSTERS AND SEXBOTS ARE NOT WELCOME TO FOLLOW MY BLOG WHATSOEVER! 😡 That will be all….I mean it.)

Mash-up style review - Glass Screen Pro, StylusHome Stylus Pens, and JETech Case for my iPad 5th Generation device (and other of my devices)

Hey guys! Consider this will be my last post for this week of March; especially working hard to observe I had when checking this items I’ve owned now. (Also, just in case if I got nothing for today’s last “On This Day” post share. Sorry. 😅)

It’s for my second iPad device that I’ve hoped to give a good upgrade or a good clean. Thankfully after ordering from Amazon.com with my mom; almost until I got the right sized tablet case days later. So yeah….😅

Link Here #1

Link Here #2

Link Here #3

What that being said though, It’s finally time when going through my mash-up style review. So sorry for taking so long; that includes having our cable connection problem from past weeks. Just a thought, but still.

Link Here #4

Anyways, I got it through recording while setting things up for good measure. However, I put aside of my Fintie tablet case due to “accidental ordering” that I’ve mentioned. I’ll be keeping it unless I can get my own iPad Air soon. We’ll see. Now on with this review of March 2023. Or at least while assembling things for my second iPad device.

⬆️ 1st through 4th Images (from 1:18 or more to 1:30 P.M.)

First off is where I started back in March. 7th. This is the Glass Screen Pro Protector from one of my packages I’ve unboxed. Though not the first where I wanted to installed at my device’s screen; which happens I’d use for my Samsung Tab E back in 2019. ⬇️

Link Here #5

Now years later though, I’ve got the same thing that also compatible for my second iPad device. It also helped to prevent from dirt, germs, or scratches to high resolution display. At least when reading the front cover or online sites, but nice details to remember. Anyways, I unboxed this while getting started to installing my iPad’s screen. Though I’ve been through this before when doing other of my tablet and video game handheld devices.

Good thing where I followed through instructions by using guide stickers, one cleaning wipe and a cloth to set up. Once it completed by few minutes later, my second iPad’s screen is secured very well. Looking at it, it was pretty nice after being careful of installation. I’ll be saving the full picture after this review is done.

⬆️5th through 9th Images (started at 3:01 to 3:20 P.M. after unboxing and close-ups)

Now for something different where I moved on to my second item to unboxed. This here was my new magnetic stylus pens from the brand “StylusHome.” It even sell other different pens and accessories if you’re interested. However, I picked with those pens that I’m going with; especially how it looks like any luxury pens while holding them. Nice!

Unlike where I used to work with my “Blackweb” stylus; in terms of coloring, some sketching, or swiping through apps. ⬇️

Link Here #6

Once I've opening this case itself, I have one each black and white pens separate; pre-installed with magnetic tips sealed that I've mentioned before. It also came with four replacement parts to install in case of losing them, a cleaning cloth, a manual book, and the warranty card. Don't expected to have USB cables to charge these pens up; unlike with my "Blackweb" pens that it still working as of today. I'll see I can check it back for my other post soon.

As for this new pens however, they're pretty fine to use without any power buttons on. Unless you'll be looking for other "StylusHome" stylus that does need charging batteries. Though what I have was good looking standard pens that I would needed to be careful when using. Which is why where going to the next part below as I tested out later. ⬇️

⬆️ 10th Image (ending at 3:48 P.M.)

I went to my PicsArt app minutes later and test out at least with my one stylus pen. This here was my drawling lines I have so far, but doing in both different tips. Regardless which tips suits better to use for drawing/sketching stuff, I pick with the clear disc tip kind. I putted on top next to the below of my second drawing line; while using the fiber tip. They’re not bad, but slightly different in comparison that I would’ve do more of it. However, it’s best I can still use the clear disc tip for hoping of better art tracing experiences. Though only to get closer while tracing. Whatever works.

Good to know my “StylusHome” pens works well that I’m getting started on further art projects later on. Also it good on swiping onscreen (to other tablets and devices) whether using Google app or YouTube app through searches. Well, I usually go with my fingers; especially good for tracing through art sketches from previous times.

⬆️11th through 18th Images (On March. 11th; started at 5:55 P.M. before bedtime)

And finally this one; though waiting about few days til the 11th of March. Unlike where I “accidentally” ordered the Fintie tablet case, this here was the right size that I would’ve looking for. It came from the “JETech” brand that sells different cases, screen protectors, and other accessories. I helped with my mom to pick the right size for my second iPad that thankfully fits. Its design was made with faux leather material and having a sleep/wake function when opening and close the magnetic cover. As its fit though, Just wanted to make sure to check on the back bottom of my tablet’s model number. Mine was “A1822”; so after checking on what’s on the box, it support that as well. Nice. 😉👍

I also wanted to point out the color of the tablet case itself; which is black, even if I would’ve go something a bit nice or unique. However, appreciate the looks I’ve picked up with. Not only that, it also folds in different position for viewing or working while doing on art stuff. You know what’s coming when sharing this post I got.

My Thoughts:

Do apologies for the long wait I’ve worked up, but worth to check out my three items for the first time. After ordering from Amazon.com; though later when ordering the right sized tablets case was approved. I like the way while hoping to give a good clean upgrade for my second iPad device, but also using with my new stylus pens for 2023. Do hope I’ll be sure to take care of it.

Hope you guys enjoy this review I’ve came up. Again just to note, I’m leaving my Fintie tablet case out until further notice. Mostly if getting my first iPad Air tablet device soon. Who knows?

⬆️ 19th through 21st Images (On March. 26th at 5:00 P.M.) (Bonus)

As I promised, here’s a closer look of my second iPad device; after installing with the screen protector and my “JETech” brand tablet case. Pretty nice, huh? Very appreciated after ordering from Amazon.com; alongside with my “StylusHome” pens. Anyways, see you guys on April 2023!

Links for these items we’ve ordered from Amazon.com ⬇️

Tagged: @murumokirby360 @carmenramcat @alexander1301 @rafacaz4lisam2k4

[handkinkbis]

FIRST EPISODE THOUGHTS

Man.... I could FEEL the pressure Sam is under through the screen and I 100% get why she’s such a hard ass as a boss. Is it an effective way to lead? Probably not. But I get that this company is her lifeline and she’s under serious time pressure to either get the company to flourish - or to become a housewife to a man she’s incapable of loving sexually and romantically. And work seems to be her life, oy vey... I can’t even stay mad at Sam, because she seems to be unraveling under the tough veneer. That scene with her and the lighter... I was like girl, put that lighter down before you burn the whole building down.

The character intro of Mon was a bit too drawn out (these episodes are extra long!!), but after Mon joined the company stuff finally started happening so the pacing definitely improved. Freen as a 29-year-old going on 30 made me chortle, since she looks 23 tops... I think she feels a little young for this role (at least to my eyes). Her persona would also make more sense if she was closer to Freen’s actual age, but Becky was a little more natural in this episode and in this role. ; )

Am I too impatient if I want to see Mon bring up how they first met each other already???? I want to know if Sam remembers her I NEED TO KNOW (if there’s a book I haven’t read it so I have no idea what’s gonna happen between these two).

Anyway, Sam can step on me with her YSL heels and I can’t wait for their domsub relationship to begin (against company rules ahem)

[forfoxessake]

2022 is over. The year in review.

It wasn’t a great year. This mostly post-pandemic year was filled with anxiety and changes. I could hardly focus on anything so there are only a few things that were truly memorable.

 I was able to reconnect with music, after many years barely listening to anything, suddenly it was the only thing that I could enjoy without having to force myself to pay attention, I could just feel. 

I found that I still pretty much love MCR and one thing I could focus on was watching the live streams from their Return tour, every night a different set list, different memories. It really helped me get through my days -  funny how they are still out there saving lives 20 years later. 

I saw 113 films, read 64 books and seen many series. 

Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

MOVIES

Aftersun (2022) - definitely my favorite movie this year, nothing made me feel as much as the last 30 minutes of this film.

Petite Maman (2021) -  there’s like 5 people in this movie, it’s mostly two litte girls playing around I loved every second of it.

The Worst Person in the World (2021) - being an adult is hard and we don’t have to know everything

Dial M for Murder (1954) - had a very special time seeing this, and it’s really good. 

Mars One (2022) - another movie with a wonderful kid who dreams bigger than anything in the world

C’mon C’mon (2021) - my favorite films this year all starred little kids, there are moments here so precious

The Lost Daughter (2021) - my first film this year and I still remember it so vividly. 

CODA  (2021) - the big Oscar winner and I still agree with this decision, it’s precious and memorable. 

The Green Knight (2021) - Not enough people have seen this, Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander have my heart forever

Metal Lords (2022) - made me remember my teenage years and why I loved music/metal so much 

Licorece Pizza (2021) - I need to watch this again but I remember feeling so good while seen this on the big screen 

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - my second favorite movie this year, it seems crazy but its really not. 

BOOKS

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem  by Gerard Way and  Shaun Simon -  I loved reading it, I remember not being very into the Danger Days themes and at that point not even listening to music at all anymore, coming back to things and falling in love with this world was a special thing.

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by  Maggie O'Farrell - one of the most beautiful conversations about death that I have ever read, here death it’s not something distant, it’s a thing that we brush hands with everyday.

My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun by  Emily Dickinson - I finally finished the Dickinson tv series on Apple TV+ and I just had to read some of her work, this collection was on my nightstand for many months and I read it over and over again.

TV SERIES

The Staircase - I was addicted to both the 2022 HBO tv mini-series and the original documentary from 2004, it’s a wild ride and it still makes me question so many things.

The Bear - at a time I could barely focus on anything, I managed to nearly binge watch this show, I can’t explain why it’s impossible to take our eyes off of it, but it’s brilliant and immersive and intense. 

House of The Dragon - I really had low expectations for this and it blew my mind every sunday, it might be better than GOT.

Star Trek: Lower Decks - If you are looking for a comedy sci-fi series that doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows how to entertain and mantain a cohesive plot this is it. So far, three seasons of pure joy. 

Irma Vep -  Olivier Assayas had one of the most brilliant moments in any media this year and almost no one saw it, it’s a shame that so many are missing out one of the best tv series ever. 

MUSIC 

 Past Lives by  L.S. Dunes (2022) - I pratically lived off this album since it was released in past two months, its perfect, there’s not one bad song. 

I’m probably forgetting other things that I liked, this is a sad list compared to other years and I will try to make better choices this year. 

2021

[fallenwingzero]

I posted 1,048 times in 2022

That's 1,048 more posts than 2021!

79 posts created (8%)

969 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@recurringsquidmotif

@fy-women-of-gundam-wing

@ghost-proof

@roredroy

@kanamesengoku

I tagged 1,027 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#gundam wing - 933 posts

#heero yuy - 528 posts

#relena darlian - 404 posts

#fan art - 333 posts

#duo maxwell - 270 posts

#screen caps - 239 posts

#official art - 234 posts

#quatre raberba winner - 213 posts

#trowa barton - 204 posts

#wufei chang - 155 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#*dont expect him to confess his deeper feelings anytime soon* *proposes to her a year (minus the cryosleep) later* lmao

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Frozen Teardrop Translations Masterpost

Continuing on from inchoate-oeuvre’s Frozen Teardrop translations (*LiveJournal Link here) I’m going to translate the rest of New Report Gundam Wing Frozen Teardrop.

Other Frozen Teardrop chapters not translated by me:

Volumes 1 to 6: All chapters prior to Interlude of the Heart, Preventer 5 Part 1: https://inchoate-oeuvre.livejournal.com/2191.html  <Read these chapters first

Epilogue: https://uchuunokokoro.tumblr.com/post/13955 4589274/novel-gw-frozen-teardrop-epilogue

Below are the chapters that I’ve translated so far, and I’ll continue to update the list as I release more:

Volume 1: Rondo of Redemption

Chapter 1 of 3: Silent Prelude *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 6: Nocturne of Grief

Chapter 4 of 4: Interlude of the Heart (Preventor 5 Part 1): *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 7: Rhapsody of Loneliness *Complete

Chapter 1 of 2: Interlude of the Heart (Preventor 5 Part 2): *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Chapter 2 of 2: MC File 5: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 8: Rhapsody of Loneliness (Middle Part)

Chapter 1 of 4: Peacecraft File 4: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Chapter 2 of 4: Peacecraft File 5: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link 

Frozen Teardrop Authors Notes:

Volume 1 Afterword: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 2 Afterword: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 3 Afterword: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 4 Afterword: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Volume 5 Afterword: *Tumblr Link *LiveJournal Link

Other Gundam Wing Translations I have done:

Chronicle of the After Colony Era

30 notes - Posted June 11, 2022

#4

Some cute Hilde Schbeiker concept art notes from the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Encyclopedia. I love the little pic of her and Duo lol.

32 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

#3

My Gundam Wing books collection so far. I love this series so much.. ;-;

See the full post

34 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

#2

My Gundam Wing novelisation finally arrived 😍 + bonus Hiiriri official art from the first volume that I wanted to share because they're so pretty ❤.

Another Gundam Wing light novel series added to the list of books I'll eventually translate 😁. FT is my priority right now, then EW novelisation, then Scythe in my Right Hand You in my Left, and then finally this series ^^; but I promise I'll get to it!

39 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

It appears that Frozen Teardrop still gets a lot of hate which is unfortunate since it’s a pretty good series. I understand not liking it if you haven’t read it since I didn’t either due to what was said about it online, but after giving it a chance I enjoyed it quite a lot! I also learned that most of the stuff said about it online never even happened,,, 

Frozen Teardrop only reveals to the reader what the new characters, such as Fenrir and Cathy Po, know as the plot progresses. This has unfortunately caused a lot of misinterpretations from the western fandom who only had brief summaries to go off as FT was releasing. I want to clear up some of the more popular misinterpretations here, especially the common ones from TV Tropes and Gundam Wing Wiki (The wiki can’t even decide whether Sabrina and Katrina are her grandmother and great aunt or mother and aunt, so it shouldn’t be used as a source for FT anyway lol.)

This post is long, so it is under the read more. There are also spoilers so don’t read if you are waiting for the translations.

Wufei and Duo hate each other:

This is a language issue. Cathy Po is confused as to why Duo (Father Maxwell) and Wufei (Master Chang) are so informal with each other (talking down to each other rather than using more formal speech to address each other). In Japan if you don’t know someone/aren’t very acquainted with someone, you never talk down to them.

From her POV it seems odd that a Master and a Priest would talk to each other so casually whereas in Japan their language to each other should be much more formal given their status. This actually shows that Wufei and Duo are close enough (childhood friends) to talk casually but it comes as a shock to an outsider such as Cathy.

Heero wants to kill Relena:

Heero wanting to kill Relena is more for suspense for new GW fans and also as the reader is only given what knowledge Fenrir and Cathy Po have. From their Pov Relena needs to be assassinated but as the OG pilots know, she is just a scapegoat of the Lanagurin Republic and the fights with the Peacecraft’s are to throw the Republic off. 

Heero himself wants to kill the name “Relena Peacecraft” (not Relena herself) so she can go back to being “Relena Darlian” and change the world as she wants on her terms rather than be burdened to carry the Peacecraft name. This gets revealed in the Preventor 5 chapters as well as in later chapters, but the old translations and summaries only covered the early volumes.

Relena does originally need to be killed to end the Perfect Peace Program virus which is why the G-pilots are trying to get to her but Heero is the one who comes up with the plan to find the origins of the program to stop it instead so she can live (hence why his “I’ll never kill again quote gets repeated over and over again).

*Duo almost gets his own subsection lmao, poor guy gets the hate the worst,,,

Duo abandoned Fenrir:

Duo had already mutually divorced Hilde and she chose to not tell him she was pregnant. He didn’t know he had a son so he can’t really be blamed for not being around as he was respecting Hilde’s space.

Duo cut his hair for no reason/ it’s ooc:

In Japan, a character cutting their hair signifies personal change and wanting to grow. Hilde points out that his braid is a reminder of Sister Helen and losing her and everyone else close to him which is why he continuously pushes others (especially Hilde as shown in the Anime and Manga) away. He initially disagrees with her but soon realizes she has a point and wants to change his ways leading to a dramatic scene of him cutting his braid and saying goodbye to Sister Helen, Father Maxwell and Solo with his newfound determination to stop pushing others away.

Duo left his debt of the church to Hilde on purpose:

Duo inherited the church’s debt from a priest he had helped, again against his knowledge. The only reason Hilde was stuck with the debt was because she went to evaluate it to sell and pay the debt but realized there was still orphans there, so she wanted to take care of them until they were adopted. Unfortunately, as Duo points out, because of the war there’s more orphans every time he visits. 

Also, once Duo finds out about the church, he starts sending his bounty money he earns to pay it off.

Duo is a jerk dad:

This is a combination of the above misinterpretations as well as a language thing. Both Duo and Fenrir have brash/sarcastic speech patterns that don’t translate well, mixed with Fenrir being an Unreliable Narrator:TM: that tends to exaggerate, they come across as mean. We know from how they talk about each other that they both really care as well as from their actions. Fenrir sews part of Duo’s Santa suit into his iconic jacket, Duo gloats about his son to the other pilots, Fenrir learned all he knows from Duo, Duo made excuses to see Fenrir despite Hilde saying he wasn’t his son, Fenrir keeps Duo’s cowboy hat, etc.

Relena is brainwashed:

She wasn’t brainwashed at all. She was used as a scapegoat for the Lanagurin Republic the same way Romefeller used her as Queen Relena. They know the people will trust anything the government says as long as it comes from Relena.

Katrine is a clone:

Katrine is just another one of Quatre’s test tube sisters, she was just born after their father died (frozen embryo I assume?). She herself believed she’s a clone because she is brought up in a hospital (raised by her sister Irene Winner) and has a friend who is a “spare parts” clone for their own sister. 

When her friend's sister dies and the friend becomes the “main daughter”, the friend projects on to Katrine calling her a spare parts clone, but Irene assures Katrine it isn’t true and that she is just as loved as her other 30 siblings.

Maybe this changes later? I haven’t got to the part where Quatre narrates yet so maybe he says something different but as far as I know this is debunked.

Katrine is only 10 making her romance with Phobos/No name gross:

Katrine is also 15 but the way that Mars years' work, I can see where the fandom got confused. There’s a part where it mentions she is a kindergartener, and 5 Mars years pass to bring us to just before the main plot. But 5 Mars years = 10 Earth years meaning she is actually 15ish (I’m presuming to be the same as the GW anime) and not 10.

Sabrina Peacecraft was locked away:

She wasn’t locked away rather she was the “lonely rich girl” much like Relena. She preferred to be in her room alone, playing the piano with her cat Sam but wasn’t a prisoner. The Cinderella references being the fairy tale to represent Katrina and Sabrina might have confused things? But as far as their back stories go, the cruel father locking her up wasn’t mentioned at all.

See the full post

47 notes - Posted September 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[avatarl0v3r]

Meddle About - Chapter 1

Series Masterlist || Navigation || JJK Masterlist

Warnings: cussing

{Word Count 1.3k}

Notes: this chapter is lowkey all over the place, not proof read, also y/n is black but if you wanna imagine her any other way be my guest, sukuna and yuuji are gonna be twins in this story, but yea the next chapter should be longer than this

The sound of pencils scratching paper filled your ears as you waited for the class to end, your best friend sat next to you scrolling away on her phone before her eyes go wide and she turns to you. “girl look,” she handed her phone to you, as you looked at the phone your eyebrows creased giving her a questionable look she grabbed her phone “ill tell you after class,” she said before turning her phone off and listening the last few minutes.

The class finally ended. You stood and grabbed your backpack walking to your car, jordyn following behind, you both sat in the car “okay so i guess cassidy was caught fucking fushiguro in a class room after class had ended.” you looked at her, “i swear that man isn’t real.”

Megumi fushiguro the campus player or manwhore whichever you prefer, had girls waiting on their knees for him to actually notice them, he never does; unless its a party and hes had a few dozen drinks. you’ve never meet him, only heard story’s thus believing this campus heartthrob ceases to exist.

when you got home you sat your bag down on the chair by the table before going to you room to binge your show while doing homework to get it out the way.

it’s was now 3:30 as you walked out the door of you and jordyn’s shared apartment, you went to class and pulled out your note book. it was a 2 hour lab you sat there waiting for the teacher to put you in pair’s. “and last we have y/n and itadori,” you looked around trying to find your partner before meeting eyes with a boy who had pinkish hair and a smile, you returned the smile before moving your stuff to sit next to him.

within two hours you and itadori got close, and exchanged numbers to work on parts of the lab that could be done outside of class together. the two of you were chatting before a notification popped up on your phone.

|| 4:50PM Meetup at parking garage tonight at 9:00PM be. there.

itadori noticed the smile that graced your features, “you like watching the races?” he asked you, “nah, i prefer to be in them.” he looked at you shocked, “you race??” his face full of excitement, “sure do i’ve been in a garage since i was a kid with my dad, building cars and allat shit,” you said proudly before packing up your stuff “i’ll catch you there tonight?” the boy nodded at you as you walked out the classroom.

back at the apartment you were waiting for jordyn to get home so you could let her know you’d be out. when she finally came walking into the apartment you both called home she sat her bag down before walking into your room and plopping down on your bed. “i needa do something, it’s friday night and ain’t shit to do,” she groaned into your pillow.

“well guess what boo!” you said excited, she turned her face to you, on of her eyebrows raised. “there’s a meetup down town,” jordyn jumped up. “oh shittt my girls’ finna blow these niggas.” you laughed knowing she was referring to your dodge challenger SRT demon 170.

you had spent all last summer with you dad in the garage working on her, and upgrading her; making her into your newer dream car, but she could never outshine your Skyline R32. she was your first ever street car from your junior year in high school, you wished you could bring her with you to college, but if anything was to happen to her you’d be crushed.

you and jordyn finally started getting ready for the meetup, you stepped out the shower your music being momentarily interrupted by a notification. you grabbed your phone looking at its water vapor covered screen you wiped it off seeing a (1) by your notifications, you opened the notification to see a text from itadori.

|| 6:30PM itadori: hey we’re having an after party at our sorority house tonight for the race meetup, since our friend is gonna be racing in it, you should definitely come by :)

you stood there debating for a moment before you opened the bathroom door slightly yelling, “jordyn you feel like going to a party after the meetup ?” she peeked her head at her bedroom door “hell yea, kinda question is that.”

you looked back at your screen before replying.

|| 6:31PM you: i’m down send the location and info

you sat your phone back on the sink doing your hair, before your phone vibrates with the info of the party. you get dressed and put your shoes on jordyn following behind to your car, the sun was now set and the city’s lights were illuminating the night, enjoying the peace you have for a little while as the city comes to life during the nighttime.

you finally pull into the parking garage seeing all the cars around, loud music was blasting, and amidst all of this was the one and only,

megumi fushiguro.

you parked your car stepping out looking for a familiar face, sure you’ve done races in the past since starting college, your name was known, but these were the best racers on campus you were going against. finally your eyes landed on itadori who was waving you over. you walked up to where he was standing with his friends, “everyone meet y/n, yall probably heard her name before but this is a introduction so shut the fuck up,” he said before continuing. “this is nanami, geto, gojo, kugisaki but everyone calls her nobara, and fushiguro,” he said you smiled and greeted all of them to which they gladly accepted and returned with their own smiles telling you to call them by their first names, all but one.

megumi didn’t even acknowledge nor do a small side eye glance you when you greeted him, you had to stop yourself from doing the biggest eye roll know to man, guessed it was true when people said he doesn’t notice people-girls specifically unless he had a few drinks unless it was nobara, but they’ve been friends since high school even if he gets annoyed with her. “he don’t talk much” he said as megumi glared down at the smaller male, “i can tell trust.”

a few moments later was when the announcer came over the speakers, “alright people, tonight’s race is the race against the best of the best, but tonight we got someone new whole climbed their way to the top of the best of the best on campus, and one of the best in the city outta the girls,” people started whispering among themselves.

“tonight it’s going to be megumi the best racer on campus he’s on a winning streak since he first started and he’s going to be going against y/n, she may have just moved here for college but this girl knows what she’s doing, she’s already made a name for herself out in the city,” the announcer said before finally looking over. “and the last racer on the track tonight will be sukuna, he’s hot headed, stubborn, and has a short temper. him and megumi have been rivals since the first started here at U of TJ. now racers to the start line in 10 minutes.”

he finally stopped his tangent and left us to get ready for the race, jordyn ran up to you “girl! you going against the megumi fushiguro. you’ve gotta win,” she said as her arms shook you lightly. “i’ll try relax i do this shit for fun mainly. besides this girl right here can do it easily,” you say patting the hood of you dodge challenger, before sliding into the drivers seat.

you drive up to the starting light alongside megumi and sukuna. engines were revving, cheers and peoples excited screams could be heard throughout the parking garage, you on the other hand focused on the track ahead looking at the car next to you megumi was doing the same.

“starters on your marks, get ready, set” the announcer said before inhaling a large breath. “go!”

copyright © 2024 avatarl0v3r- on tumblr. do not translate/ remake/repost my works in any platform without authorized permission.

[katherinejblackwell]

Katherine's Tea Party 4 - Not Scrolling For A Week

Also read on my website!

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom

I noticed recently that I tend to feel really awful after starting my morning on my phone or after scrolling for long periods of time when I get home. I think phone use has its place - spending some time resting and scrolling can be really restorative, and social media can be a great additive to your life in many ways. But I'm also one of many people who are probably (definitely) addicted to their phones, and too much of anything will start to wear on you. So, for this month's post, I'm going to see how I feel after using my phone as little as possible for a week, with a particular ban on scrolling, and see how I'm feeling and what my thoughts are at the end.

I was originally going to do a day-by-day record and analysis of this experiment but my poor memory and poor notetaking has led to me to decide to give an overview of my thoughts instead.

For background, I use my phone what I would say is an egregious amount on a day-to-day basis. My daily screen time average the week before this was 7h 2m, and my total screen time for the week was 49h 16m. Which is give or take 30% of that whole week. Considering how much of that time I'm asleep for, I found that a little unsettling. I tend to reach for my phone when I need a break or when I'm tired or even when I'm emotionally not great. I always go straight for some sort of app to scroll on and, again, while I think social media can add a lot to life, I think it's eating up a lot of my life more than it's been adding to it. So what I really wanted this week was to sort of reclaim that time and use it for things that I actually want to do. There are so many projects and hobbies that I want to spend time doing that I often don't because I'm scrolling instead, and I think taking a full step away from my phone will be a great first step in finding a better balance between my life and my phone.

The  first day was a little difficult, but felt really good. Breaking that lingering habit of always reaching for my phone when I got bored doing homework or cleaning, or when I was tired and wanting a break, was hard for me. It's  a habit that's been so ingrained in me after so many years and that first push away from it was a challenge. It got easier after the first few days, though I think that's mainly because I was working four days in a row this week, so after that first day I had way less time to find moments of boredom where I wanted that crutch. And the most difficult part of this experience for me was most definitely those moments of boredom, especially when I was also tired, because the easiest, most low-energy thing I could do to make that boredom go away was to grab my phone, open an app, and start scrolling. I caught myself a few times opening social media apps before I was even aware I was doing it, which kind of surprised me. It was a completely subconscious decision. I think it made me fully realize just how deep-rooted the habit of scrolling is in my day-to-day life. The key for me was finding things to fill those moments when I was grabbing for something to do. For most of the week, that was easy because, as a reader, reaching for a book was a really easy replacement. But towards the beginning and end of the week, I was waiting on holds to come in for me at the library, so I had to find other ways to fill those moments.

At the beginning of the week, I had a lot of success with sewing in place of scrolling. I've been slowly learning how to hand sew the past few months and I've had a pile of things that need mending for absolute ages. That first day, I fixed three sweaters that'd had small holes in them for months and I felt really good about getting around to them at last. For the final few days of the week, I turned to writing. I was doing an assignment for my creative writing class, working on this post, and starting progress on my novella. Both of these activities really captured my goal for the week in that during this time when I would normally be scrolling, I was getting around to things that I'd been wanting to do and that I enjoy. I was doing something that required concentration, that grew a skill I wanted to develop, and/or that brought me some feeling of personal accomplishment and fulfillment outside of a school or work setting. 

Overall, I had a much more full week than I normally would. Again, I was getting to do all of these things that I always want to do but that I'm regularly held back from doing by my scrolling habit. Aside from sewing and writing, I played an instrument, finished reading a book, spent time with people close to me, and did more cleaning than I'd managed to do in a long time. In a manner of speaking, I was living a lot more than I normally would if I had allowed myself all of my usual scroll time. I felt both physically and mentally so much better. Doing more tactile activities and activities that make me happy rather than keeping me in some sort of weird, sedated, mindless state greatly improved how I was feeling overall; I was having a lot less brain fog and I wasn't getting any of those weird sort-of headaches that I normally get when I scroll first thing in the morning or for long periods of time. 

That isn't to say that I didn't use my phone at all this week. At the end of the week, my screen time came to a daily average of 2h 29m and a weeklong total of 17h 25m, which is roughly 10% of all the hours in a week. Way better than where I was last week, but not insignificant. I used my to-do app every single day, I watched movies that had been on my list while sewing and cleaning, I used Goodreads to keep track of my books and my library's app to check on my holds, and I played matching and word games while waiting or bored. I still used my phone for upwards of an hour every day this week. The main difference here is that, for the most part, my phone wasn't what I was doing. Aside from the games, all of my phone use this week was rooted in something physical I was doing, which leads to my main takeaway from this week. Phone use in general is not some great evil that needs to be defeated. There is a really great middle ground in which your phone can add a lot to your life while not ruling it. There's a broader conversation to be had here about how social media platforms are designed to keep you scrolling and how there are much larger corporations benefiting from individuals' addictions to their phones. I don't think any one person should be blamed for excessive phone use or addiction to their phone. But I do think it's good to start having conversations about healthy relationships with technology and screen time both as Gen Z are coming into adulthood and as the next generation is being raised in a world that is undeniably full of screens.

Book Rec and Drink of the Month

My book recommendation this month is The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill. From what I have gathered, it was first published online for free as a webcomic, but was published as a physical graphic novel in 2017, with two more volumes following in 2019 and 2021. My library has all three and I finally took the first one home after mooning over its art style for months. This book is full of just the most beautiful art and it has such a sweet and simple story. I absolutely loved reading it and staring at every single page trying to soak in all of the colors and details. I cannot recommend reading this enough, I think anyone with a love for fantasy, art, and cute lil creatures would really enjoy this series.

My drink for this month is the Lavender Night tea made by Fraser Tea. I didn't love it initially because I don't get that much lavender from it, but it's grown on me the past few days. It has a really nice scent and, although I think the pineapple comes out a lot more than the other flavors, it has a pleasant subtle sweetness. I've been reaching for it all week when I want something warm and I'll probably pick up another box later on. 

Thank you very much to anyone who took the time to read this week. It was certainly a much denser post than usual for me, but I really enjoyed writing it and I'd love to do similar posts in the future. I'm glad to be writing here again after my accidental break in February. It was a pleasure, and I hope you'll all join me for tea again next month.