be-ready-when-i-say-go

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

The cliff is really a hillside. Chapter 5 will pick up immediately after the last line. Promise. Promise. It's for a good reason.

if i leave chapter 4 on a cliff hanger, are y'all going to riot?

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

yes 😤😂

Walk with me--the tension is delicious though. It's not that steep of a cliff hanger either. I promise.

-H

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

if i leave chapter 4 on a cliff hanger, are y'all going to riot?

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Tanaka Daisuke accessories S/S 2024

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Just stopping by to let you know that you are good for way more than sub!joe 🫶🏻

We love him, but we also love you as a part of this community and also appreciate any and all content you give us at your own pace.

I like to joke about him in his corner as much as the next person, but I’m sure he’s perfectly safe and content there for a little bit longer. Our little slutty short wearing introvert is probably even enjoying himself.

You’re the best and I hope you’re having a good weekend so far!

Thank you! I really do appreciate this kindness. You didn't have to, but it means a lot that you took the time to send this!

I hope you're having a great weekend too!

-H

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

is he finally done with them legos?

I am assuming you mean this in jest. But this makes me feel like I'm only good for sub!joe. I am not a fic vending machine. You cannot put quarters in whenever you want and just get writing on demand. More sub!joe is coming but my priority is Heart of the Matter. I will post when I get back to sub!joe.

-H

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Has an ex ever been brought up between Joe and Wifey leading to tension and jealousy?? For the fun if it say yes and how did each react ? Was there self doubt or insecurity

went into that a little bit with joe being jealous of a guy she used to talk to during med school here.

but as for exes, maybe there was a girl joe dated from the tail end of high school into his first year or so at osu. it was never particularly serious, but they were together for a while.

his ex sort of lingers on the edges of the friend group joe's maintained since high school. they keep their distance as they've both moved on and are now cordial, but there is that history there. she's tends to pop up at weddings, sometimes ends up at the same bars as joe in athens, they still follow each other on instagram.

most evidence of their relationship is gone from their socials, but there's some pictures of the two of them looking cuddly on some of his friends' pages. wifey had seen those pictures in passing back in college after befriending leah, so she knows what his ex looks like, her name, where she went to undergrad, knows she moved to another part of the state after getting her master's. but she never really thought about the chance that she'd cross paths with her.

it happens at a memorial party back in joe's hometown. there's a good mix of people from the neighborhood, people he fell out of touch with, the parents of people he's known since he was in middle school who haven't seen him in years. she loves being sewn into the fabric of joe's vibrant network, finally putting a face to the names of the characters in his stories. maybe she even hears new stories of memories joe had suppressed out of embarrassment, it's a good time.

then there's her. she had been bouncing around from party to party, was told by her parents to show face at this specific one. wifey doesn't notice her until she hears his ex's name called out, doesn't turn her head until joe does, doesn't feel the racing of her heart until joe's greeting her with a hug and asking her how she's been.

it's silly.

she knows that they ended things on good terms. she knows that they've had nearly a decade of friendship after the relationship ended. but it's so hard not to compare. she's the girl next door, a good career that gives her a much better work-life balance than a doctor, and she's just pure sunshine. it radiates off her, brightens her face, and spills over onto whoever she touches. she introduces herself with a hug, pulls her into her orbit, and is so gracious, so cheery, so sunshine, it almost blinds her up close.

so she grits her teeth and smiles back, tries to reflect sunshine back to her with kind words and a whole slew of compliments. wifey breathes a full sigh of relief when his ex is pulled away from someone else at the far corners of the party. joe notices and laughs, full with a shake of his head because he just knows. he can see it on her face how the comparisons have begun to swirl around her head and dizzy her.

"exhausting, right?" he says, taking a sip of his tequila punch. cartier sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose, his smile knowing. he takes in the flicker of surprise that crosses her features before she faces him full on.

"what's exhausting?" she asks, slightly bewildered by the word choice. she tilts her head, pushes her own sunglasses back to rest upon the crown of her head.

"standing in the sunshine, matching... that," he gestures back toward his ex, who's now spilling sunshine elsewhere. "jamie called it toxic positivity or something."

"is it wrong of me to agree with you?" she mutters, the corner of her lip quirking up when she sees him shake his head, another laugh bubbling up in his chest. her shoulders ease, his hand finds her waist and pulls her in.

"that's why we broke up. i can't be with someone who exhausts me, makes me feel like i can't have ups and downs, that i can't be me." he clarifies, hand splayed across her lower back.

that familiar glint of teasing eased back into her expression. "what? you broke up because she didn't put up with your attitude?" she poked him lightly in the side, smiling. "sounds like you were the problem, not her."

he rolled his eyes, "i am the problem. but i met this really amazing person who seems to be okay with my attitude. so i think i made the right decision, all things considered."

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

some advice: if the next step seems too big, it's not the next step

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Do it for the meme. http://blinkingguy.com

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

michael b. jordan & wunmi mosaku SINNERS, 2025

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Just thought about sub!joe and the parallel with how rl joe is always seeking approval with how he always asks “did you like that” ooohh i need to sit down. My head is spinning.

Do not think about how fast Joe would nut with praise. Don’t do it. It’s bad for your health. Burrow, I see you. I know what you need. Let me give you exactly what you want.

He’s literally just a sensitive guy underneath the veneer. He melts with praise, loves to hear “make me feel so fucking good.” And if you say “I’m so proud of you,” his insides liquify. Like!!! It’s not even subtext anymore. It’s the fucking lecture! He likes the validation but he doesn’t like empty platitudes. Like he won’t just accept like oh you always play so well. Oh you’re so thoughtful, etc, etc. he wants it when you mean it. When you really think he’s done well and you can tell in real life Joe’s very analytical. He’s not happy with just anything. He has to be done right. Executed perfectly. See his crash outs on the sidelines when shit is NOT going well. Even if it’s a dub at the end of the day.

So praise HITS when he can tell it’s genuine. This man wants a PARAGRAPH of a response with praise and gratitude. Like y’all thought I was just pulling sub!joe out my ass? Nah, I was attending the lecture. I was taking NOTES. I was in office hours. I was studying film. send that man flowers. Tell him you’re proud of him and be fucking specific and he’s going to fall in love in an instant.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Happy independent bookstore day!

You can get a signed copy of my book (and support my local bookstore) through this link:

https://beanbagbooks.com/book/9781643262291s

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boyfriend material

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You’ve had sub!joe in a corner with his legos for too long. We want him.

First off, Joe asked for the legos so I was content to leave him like that. But like he has to go and do, he got fucking antsy, can't keep his hands to himself for too long.

-H

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heart of the matter please 🙋🏾‍♀️

You're so sweet. Thank you!

-H

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

C A L U M H O O D🎸💿🖤