#Beto is the best hes my man

[iangallagherisadeadman]

my favorite season of Shameless is S3 and there are a lot of reasons why but one of them is cause there's a lot more of JimmySteve, which I believe is the funniest character of the show, and his involvement with the Brazilian cartel and, well, I'm Brazilian.

That being said I hate Estefania but I do like how they wrote her, I believe she is a truthful portrait of the rich Brazilian girl. She's gorgeous and handsy and works out a lot, she's a natural beauty, she's provocative, long hair perfect sculpted body... What I hate though is that the directive team specifically asked her to deliver all of her lines kind of moaning and childishly and it gets. to. my. nerves. I know why they did it, it was so it comes as sexy and spoiled, and the fact that non portuguese speakers wouldn't understand what she's saying adds to the effect. Even so, no one speaks the way she does, which is extremely theatrical, so my experience was not the best.

I do LOVE Beto, the guy that has to follow JimmySteve around. He and Estefania's dad, Nando: every time they speak portuguese they do it angry-like and deliver the lines with emphasis kind of like projecting it out even when it's not necessary, but it sounds more natural. Beto did sound like a true carioca (that being how the Brazilians who are born in the city of Rio de Janeiro are referred to), he joked around about soccer and talked to JimmySteve about his family and his experience living in the favela, and some times he would use Brazilian expressions and it was so funny to me.

[super-unpredictable98]

Much Ado About Nothing (OC X Canon Week 2025)

Cowritten with @mrprettywhenhecries for @theocxcanonweek

Word count: 1,3k | Prompt: Jealous much? | Pairing: Roberto Sobal x Lydia Bellamy

Warning: none

A/n: Beto is a character I've been very into and my partner in crime indulges me like I do for them lol. If anyone is wondering, Roberto Sobral is a protagonist from the Brazilian telenovela Garota do Momento (which apparently it's called She's The One in English). Hope you all fall in love with him a little bit hehe

[Masterlist]

Tony Curtis had just been in Some Like it Hot, he was on top of the world and now he was invited to be Benedick in a new production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Apollo Victoria Theater in London.  

His Beatrice is a promising young actress who just graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lydia Bellamy, who chose to keep that stage name despite getting married a couple of months before to Roberto Sobral.  

"Will you pick me up after rehearsals today?" She asked, finishing her tea in the morning.

“Of course,” Beto exclaimed, pausing to press a kiss to her temple as he passed, putting his coffee cup in the sink, the morning newspaper tucked under his arm.

"You haven't been teased for being married to an actress have you?" Lydia asked, a little upset by that thought. "People think that's not a job for family women, but you know that's not true."

"Of course I know that's not true," he said with a frown, setting down his paper and gently rubbing Lydia's arms. "You know I'll always support your dreams and I couldn't be prouder of you," he insisted.

"Thank you, honey," she smiled, giving him a little bag with his lunch. "I packed last night's roast with potatoes for you. I hope you have a good day at work."

"Thank you doll, you're the best," he exclaimed, peeking into the bag before rolling it back up. "Break a leg at rehearsal, babe. I'll see you tonight," he added, catching her round the middle to steal a kiss.

"Thanks, Beto, see you later," Lydia waved as he left.  

She washed the dishes and got her own lunch before leaving to rehearse at the Apollo Victoria for the first time, since they had been using a drama school studio until that moment.

Later that afternoon, Beto leaned back in his chair, raising his arms above his head to stretch. Glancing up at his watch, he gave a start.

"Oh damn, I gotta go pick up Lyds," he grunted, pulling his finished article from the typewriter to deposit on his boss's desk and grabbing his camera bag.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," he called to his coworkers, waving away their teasing comments about his actress wife, barely listening as he hurried for the door.

When he arrived at the theatre, he slipped inside and nodded to the security guard before heading to the auditorium, hoping to catch the tail end of Lydia's rehearsal.

His wife was still performing the dance number to the sound of Sigh No More with the other actors. She didn't even notice when Beto arrived. When the song ended, Tony kissed her, which was on the script... what wasn't on the script was his tongue in her mouth, so she pushed him off.  

"Hey! No! If you ever put that tongue in my mouth again, I'll bite it."

Beto was about to take a seat in the front row when he saw his wife push Tony off her and a wave of jealous anger crashed over him. Before he realized it, he was climbing the steps to the stage two at a time, his face a thunderhead.

"Hey! You! Yeah, you!" he called, striding toward the actor, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he stepped in front of Lydia to face the other man. "You touch my wife like that again and I'll--I'll--" Too enraged to even finish his thought he pushed his rival back.

"It's okay, Beto, calm down..." she put a hand on her husband's chest, worried about what he was capable of doing, but Tony seemed to think everything was pretty amusing.  

"Come on, man... I can't believe you're getting this worked up because of a stage kiss. You do know we'll have to do this every night, right?" He chuckled. "And twice on weekends."

If possible, Beto's face reddened even further, his brown eyes flashing. "Don't play coy," he huffed, standing his ground. "That was more than just a stage kiss and you know it!"

"Your loss, babe, girls would kill for that," he winked.

"You can't be this insecure and married to an actress," Tony scoffed.

"Shut your mouth!" Lydia scolded. "You put your tongue in my mouth and I don't like it!"  

"You violate my wife again and I won't hold back," Beto threatened, squaring his broad shoulders and stepping up to the other man, using the few inches he had on him to glare down at him.

"You can't touch me, big boy," Tony poked his shoulder.  

"Leave him be, don't buy into his taunting," Lydia whispered to her husband. "Let's just go home, alright? Take a deep breath, it's okay."

For a long moment, Beto didn't move, his nostrils flaring as he breathed through his nose. Gritting his teeth, he stared the actor down a second longer before finally taking a step back and letting Lydia pull him away.

"Hey, I'm sorry you had to see that," she murmured as they went back to her dressing room to get her bag. "But don't mind him..."

"How can I not mind that?" Beto demanded, throwing his hands up and pacing the length of her tiny dressing room. "I can understand needing to kiss another man for a scene, but that--that was more than just an innocent stage kiss!" He exclaimed.

"I know, I know... but you saw it, I pushed him off, I didn't want any of that. I only like you, my dear," Lydia smiled softly caressing his blonde hair and his freckled cheek.

He softened slightly, leaning into her touch. "I know--I just--it made my blood boil knowing he thought he could get away with that," he said, his brows furrowing.

"Jealous much?" She chuckled. "I know, my blondie is a feisty one. I think that's very attractive, but I don't want you getting into a fight."

Beto's lips pressed into a line, but he didn't argue. "Well, if he pulls another stunt like that, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself," he huffed.

"I know, but it'll be okay. I'm sure he won't, you are a pretty big guy, nobody would want to get in a fight with you. I think he got the message."

"Yeah, he better remember that, because if you tell me he tries to take advantage of you again, I don't know what I'll do," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"The producers wanted me to pretend that I have a real life relationship with him, I shut that down really fast," Lydia chuckled, sitting by his side on the couch.

“They what—?” Beto exclaimed, gaping at her. “Jesus—“ he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Don't worry, I told everyone I'm married, I even told the press. They can't make that work even if they wanted to," Lydia leaned against him.

The tall blonde wrapped his arm around her, tucking her head under his chin. “I love you, Lyds. So much.”

"I love you too," she closed her eyes, just inhaling his comforting scent. "You don't ever need to worry, but I do appreciate you defending me."

“I’ll always defend you, I’m your husband,” Beto murmured, rubbing her back. “Why don’t we get home and put all this behind us?”

"Yeah, that sounds good. I can't wait to have you all to myself," Lydia kissed her husband lovingly.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” he drawled, his lips curving.

[sapphiclizziebennet]

2024 election politics under the cut, i just need to vent about it for a second. no need to read it unless you're curious lol

so ideal world, biden steps down. right? i guess that's the consensus? i have a very different view on this. like, yeah, i deeply dislike the guy as much as anybody else. but i think i'm like the one person who thinks he absolutely should not step down. to the point that i'm terrified hearing the rumors that he's more open to it now. honest to god i don't think kamala harris can win that election. i have extreme doubts. if they couldn't elect hilary clinton do you really think kamala is going to win. i think everybody doubts how extremely misogynistic this country is, not even outwardly so, but still baked into the fabric of so much that's here and so much that influences the moderates.

i hate to have to grit my teeth and vote for biden, i really do. earlier in the election cycle i was genuinely going through a lot coming to terms with having to vote for him. but yeah i do think right now he's one of the few people who could win (the other person i think could win is beto, but i don't think that's gonna happen -- but mark my words, that man will be president one day). i just hate to be like if x thing happens, we're completely fucked, because that's not entirely true, but man if it won't make my blood pressure go up considerably until after november.

anyway i'm just baffled that everyone around me is like 'yeah biden should step down.' i get the sentiment behind it, absolutely. but i really think if the dems want to win... they need to think very seriously about what's going on. biden is their best chance against an opponent that already fights dirty.

oh and, if the only reason we want to vote for biden is to not have trump in office, then we need to go with the candidate who has the best chance of winning.

[raedshadowlegends]

Poker Face: The John-O Character

Omg hi howdy. Welcome back to a long essay featuring nothing groundbreaking whatsoever! Today we are going to be talking about Poker Face, the greatest show of all time. But more specifically, we're going to be talking about John-O.

For the uninformed-- John-O is a character featured briefly in the first episode of the series. He's only in two scenes but he sure is a silly little guy. Everyone loves John-O.

And upon my 17th rewatch, this time featuring my good friend @room215 , they pointed out that there seems to be a John-O-escue character in every single episode.

So we kept track of the John-O's. And now I'm going to be dissecting each one for no good reason.

Now there are no specific criteria for what makes a John-O. It's really just based on vibes. There are similar patterns between characters that are worth analyzing but for the most part you just know it when you see it.

I'll be talking about the first five episodes in this potentially very long post so grab yourself some popcorn and buckle up.

Oh and there will be spoilers. So go watch Poker Face if you haven't already, it's the best show ever actually.

Episode 1: Dead Man's Hand

John-O

BEHOLD! JOHN-O THE ORIGINAL!

There are definitely moments where I could get better pictures of him but I think this one is kinda perfect.

This is John-O. He is a silly little guy who has a history of stealing shit and breaking into places. He seems to be reformed because he states he "don't do this shit no more." So he is morally good. I trust him.

He's very silly and likes to add the suffix "-o" to the end of things he says. Like hey-o and good-o. He's just this goofy old man and his vibes are impeccable.

He's an ally to our friend Charlie Cale, helping her break into Nathalie's home despite his morals. He even offers to cut her in with his playboy sales. What a good guy.

Overall, John-O is a friend-o. He establishes our precedent of the "John-O character" being silly and the vibe that we're after.

Side Note: I love that Poker Face is an episodic show with a rotating cast of characters. It's seriously awesome and you don't see that shit often. However I am heartbroken at the loss of this man cause we probably won't see him again. It breaks my heart. I hope he's doing ok.

Episode 2: The Night Shift

"Meteor Shower" Trucker

Literally just this dude who is in one scene.

He is only here to tell Charlie about the meteor shower that evening. But he does it in the funniest fucking way imaginable. He literally gives Charlie a heart attack by just saying, "Meteor shower tonight." It's the funniest thing to me.

And I think about him way more often than I ought to. He's kinda skrunkly.

I said on the night during our analysis that he's cute in the same way on old man themed muppet is cute. Y'know? I feel like that makes some sense.

But yeah he's just here to be a jumpscare and tell Charlie about the Leonids. What a silly guy. I wish he was in more than one scene.

So far in our John-O analysis we have two quirky old dudes. The best kind of character imo.

Yeah I don't have much else to say on him </3

Episode 3: The Stall

Beto

Why does he look like that.

Anyways yeah, Beto is the John-O of episode 3. I do think he is pushing the amount of scenes a John-O can be in but it's ok cause he's kinda silly. He's just doing his job, man.

Poor guy is the one who found George's body. He's probably gonna have some issues for a while.

He's got some silly interactions with Charlie and even though they're brief, they're fun.

I actually don't have a lot to say about this guy. Whoops. My bad.

But you may have noticed he is not a skrunkly old man. That is true! He is not that.

I will be grouping this dude into the category of, "Guy who is just doing their job" under the broader "John-O" umbrella.

None of those words were in the Bible, I don't think.

Anyways, that's Beto for ya. Now we get to move on to my favorite guy!

Episode 4: Rest In Metal

Guy Who Threw The Stapler

Why the fuck would he do that.

I don't even know I can classify him as a John-O character but oh my god I think about him so much. Literally what is his deal, why the hell would he do this.

He is just here to throw a stapler at Gavin and whoop and holler. That's so fucking awesome.

That's all he does so I don't exactly know what else to say about him but I will add this:

My friends and I have been saying, "aREN'T YOU THE BAND THAT DOES STAPLEHEAD??? PLAY STAPLEHEAD!!!!!!!" to each other in the most man baby-escue voices possible for days now. It's the funniest thing on the planet.

*hits you with a stapler*

Episode 5: Time of the Monkey

Gino the Bull

This random guy in Howard Wolowitz's car.

He meets the flexible criteria of being a skrunkly old man so he gets points for that, for sure. ALSO HE'S KINDA SILLY?

He's just in the car being a silly goofy guy. These dissections are getting shorter and also worse. My bad guys, I'm really tired. Been staying up watching too much Poker Face B).

Anyways yeah, I don't know what his deal is. Very important to be a John-O, you just don't know what their fucking deal is.

I wanna say Gino the Bull is some kind of mafia/mob man? I dunno. I think it'd be funny if that were the case. That's my head canon at least.

So now we have three skrunkly old dudes, one man baby, and one Beto. Awesome.

Conclusion

I'm gonna cut this one of here before it gets too terribly long. Mainly so I can just get this posted. But also I imagine this shit is quite the long read.

My bad B).

BUT YEAH!!!

These are our first five John-O characters in Poker Face! Tune in soon to learn about the next five!

It's not gonna be as silly. Sorry. Episode 9 and 10 are major bummers and there's not much fun to be had there.

As always, thank you for reading <3

[olliebee66]

He Gets What He Wants

Possessive!Grave x Beto (premium mxm content here)

Contains: Graves being a sexy little shit nasty man, smut, Graves kidnapping someone lowkey

Graves was obsessed to say the least. He couldn't help it, eyes glued to the way the fabric rode up when Beto reached up to pluck the hardcover book from one of the higher shelves, the peek at the waistband of his underwear sitting just a half inch above the waistband of his jeans.

He shifted how he sat, doing his best to not get caught. It wasn't like he was doing anything unsavory, just staring, slight bulge in his jeans as he absentmindedly licked his lips.

The scowl on his face came when he watched the way some man approach his Beto, unable to make out what he was saying. He didn't like the way this man didn't respect Beto's personal space, recognizing the fake giggle from him, eyes glancing around as if to plead for some semblance of assistance from anyone.

In a moment, Graves was walking over, pretending to look at books before his gaze fell, yet again, on Beto. He chuckled and sauntered over, putting his arm around the other's shoulders.

"This guy botherin' you, sweetheart?" he asked softly, slight smirk on his face when he felt him relax, that small hand reaching up to lace together their fingers together.

"We were just having a friendly conversation, so butt out, pal." The unknown man poked Graves' chest.

"He obviously ain't int'rested, so you can butt out." he said sternly, a serious expression on his face as his free hand drifted do his waistband.

The unknown man realized what was going to happen if he didn't leave and huffed, shooting glares at both of them before storming off.

Beto let out a sigh and let go of Graves' hand before turning to face him, a smile on his face. "Thank you for that. He bothers me every day." he said, clutching the book in his hands.

"Not a problem. Just doin' my daily good deed." Graves chuckled, leaning coolly against the nearby pillar, hands shoved in his pockets. "Guess it's your lucky day." he offered with a wink.

"Definitely. I could repay you for your kindness. I'm feeling a little...generous."

"Is that right? I guess I can think of a couple things. Lemme buy that book for ya and take you out for a coffee if you'd like." he suggested before pulling his phone out. "Or, 'cause I've got some time to kill, come back with me to mine?"

Beto looked surprised at how forward he was being. "I um... I don't know." He shifted where he stood, glancing away. A gasp left him as his chin was tilted up, suddenly Graves' face just a bit away from his own.

"I'll make it worth your time." he whispered, breath ghosting against his lips.

-

"Y'look so pretty like this." Graves moaned, leaving another hickey on Beto's neck, hand wrapping around his cock, smirking against his skin as Beto let out a breathy moan. He stroked his cock slowly, leaning back, letting his eyes wander over the man on his lap, free hand on his waist, his fingers digging into his skin. "That's it, baby. Just let go for me."

"Fuck..." Beto gasped as his cock twitched in Graves' hand, hissing in pleasure as he felt a thumb over his sensitive tip, swiping away the bead of pre cum there. "Need you... please..."

If he had been any more aroused than he was right then, he was sure he would have made a mess of his boxers, quick to lay Beto back on the bed before getting his boxers off and stroking himself for a moment before grabbing the lube he had waiting on his bedside table.

Once he felt he had sufficiently coated his cock, he pressed Beto's knees to his chest and let some pour out onto his hole before putting the bottle aside and positioning himself, pushing in slowly. It took everything in him not to slam in, the hot tightness around him threatening to milk him right then.

"Too much..." Beto whined, Graves halfway inside of him. "'s too much..."

"C'mon, baby. You can take it." he cooed, leaning down and capturing his lips in a kiss before pressing the rest of the way in, biting his lip when he gasped, purring as he felt the way Beto's cock twitched between their bodies.

He waited a moment, pulling away and starting to work his hips slowly, every forward movement pressing as deep as he could get, his own cock twitching in response to the sweet sounds that his lover made.

He felt like he was in a dream, finally getting to experience what he had been craving for so long. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning, having opened all of his presents and getting everything he had wished for. Pleasure coursed through his body, his entire being. He had only ever dreamed of this and finally, it was happening. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming, but the nails raking down his back reminded him that this was really happening.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Cum for me. Lemme hear you." he nearly begged, needy. He needed this.

"Gonna... Don't stop..." he gasped, back arching as Graves his that spot deep inside of him again, his cock twitching between them and a groan leaving his lips as he clenched around his cock when he came.

"That's it baby, fuck... fuck..." Graves moaned loudly, able to give a few more thrusts before he came deep inside of him, gripping his hips and capturing his lips again in a bruising kiss.

"So good..." Beto murmured.

Graves hummed, pulling away and moving to lay beside him, cock still hard and twitching slowly as he pulled Beto close, kissing his cheek. "Told ya I'd make it worth your time." he whispered.

"Yeah." Beto sighed, running a hand through his hair before closing his eyes. "Once I can feel my legs again, I'll get out of here."

"You don't have to." Graves said quickly. "Ain't like I got anything planned for the rest of my evenin'."

"That's sweet, but I really should go." Beto said, suddenly feeling like something was off. He pushed himself up into a seated position, ignoring the ache in his backside and thighs as he moved to stand up, grabbing his clothes. As he was about to pull on his underwear, Graves grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him onto the bed again, pinning him. "H-hey."

"You're staying with me, right sweetheart?" He sounded like he was asking, but he wasn't, that mischievous glint in his eyes. "I don't wanna hurt ya."

"Hurt... Please I... I just..." Beto's eyes were wide, fear in his gaze.

"Such a good boy, saying please for me." Graves praised, causing Beto to feel confused and conflicted, the praise making his mostly softened cock twitch. "I'll make sure you're well taken care of if you stay with me, yeah?"

Beto nodded, swallowing thickly.

Graves kissed his forehead and let go of his hands before turning him onto his front and lifting his hips. "Good boy."

[strawberry-peach]

Beto's list of beauties

From Baby Boy to Bastard, a very subjective, superficial and non-comprehensive list of his characters so far

Bc I'm bored. Do not take too seriously, please and thank you

Daniel Mandelkern

Babiest boy of them, touch him and I'll rip your face off with a rusted spoon and my nails

Kruso

Potentially baby, but with only unsynched german subtitles my understanding of this film was... questionable

Jan Haller

Stubborn baby who bites more than he can chew, but is ready to clock you in the head with a pipe if he has to protect his own baby

Micha Heller

Stern baby, unclear potential for violence, love packed inside, he tries to do good and he tries his best

Stanislaus Katczinsky (aka Kat)

Vestigues of babyboy-ism, hints of bastard (affectionate) attitudes, ready for violence and crime to survive, protective big bro vibes, sturdy beautiful boy, vulnerable to kids, loml

Alexander von Humboldt

Unclear place in the scale, not of bad intentions and resident of bygone times, enthusiastic biology man, but still earns some extra bastard points for obvious (or maybe not so obvious) reasons

Reinhold

Bastard Boy, problematic(tm), sneaky volatile little shit, high creep energy, bad childhood kid, violence packed inside, do not try to fuck-fix, likely to backfire

Franz-Josef Böhm

PhD in Bastard and proficient practitioner, a nazi

[lexcellence]

BANSHEE???? THE COP?????

look, i went from the available choices, and my vote went to Beto anyway

Let's break these choices down, yeah?

Cyclops - tl;dr There are specific periods of time where Scott is "hot," and the vast majority of the time he isn't! Is he my blorbo? Yes. Do I run a sideblog where the header is his Foxy Grandpa Ass jutting out? Of course. Can I vote him in good conscience? I don't think so.

Colossus - the man spent how much time trying to fuck a fourteen year old? He heard Mutants were moving to a sex cult island and was baffled because his dead pal Jeff was a human. Pass.

Gambit - not even with Rogue's dick.

Wolverine - I only barely believe he can find the clit, and have ZERO confidence he could locate my prostate, and I'm unsure enough about his grooming habits that I wouldn't willingly put any part of myself in any part of him. Pass.

Iceman - Closeted Iceman? Maybe. But out Iceman is an overcompensating baby gay written almost exclusively by straight dudes, and I have a strict policy of never touching white gays who have "BBC" in their search history.

Warren Kenneth Worthington the Third - do you know what happens to Angel's love interests? I'd rather not be hatecrimed by Cameron Hodge for a few sweaty minutes of underwhelming halfhearted bottoming from a princess who provides the own stuffing for his pillows. Keep flying, birdboy.

Nightcrawler - I know, I know, the man is a sex icon, but I'm not getting involved in any of that family drama. If it's not his evil lesbian moms trying to kill me, it'd be his step-sisters trying to get back in his spandex. Not worth it, especially after all that shit in Way of X.

Havok - Matt Fraction's Clint Barton: The Mutant Flavor???? Listen, I adore a broken man who knows his place as much as the next nigga, don't get me wrong, but if I'm not picking Scott, I'm definitely not picking his Luigi.

I do appreciate his commitment to the bit, though.

Banshee - let's jump back to Cyclops for a minute. Without getting into shipping war bullshit, most of the times he's been "hot" are when he's playing off of Emma Frost, right? Emma's tertiary mutation is the ability to make everyone else more interesting just by association, because she's fucking great. I mean I just read an Iron Man book for her, for fuck's sake. Back in the 90's, when she was newly not-evil, she and Banshee were essentially the co-leads of Generation X, a book that, when it wasn't being the New New New Mutants, about two unreasonably sexy people who couldn't stand each other being unreasonably sexy at each other. Even putting that aside (and if you read a few issues, you'll get it), the man's spent decades dedicated to flying around with his tits out due to mysterious clothing damage, amd I appreciate that.

Sunspot - look, I fixated on him when I was nine, as the only character I could find who was like me at all, and that was ignoring all the gay subtext with his best friend even before it turned into outright queerbaiting. I grew up with him, and he's only gotten better since then. He's the only dude in my top 5 muties. He's flawless (give or take bad taste in men and a propensity for being whitewashed), he's perfect, he's hilarious, he's my vote AND yours, he's Sunspot.

Cannonball - in my seminal 2020 fic, "How Many Times Would You Say You've Been In Love," I summed Beto's Best Boy up thusly:

Sam laughed, a quiet, gentle, chuckle that crinkled the corners of his eyes, not that Roberto could bring himself to look at them. Instead his own eyes travelled everywhere else, from Sam's mess of a mop, to his strong jaw, to the gap in his front teeth, his okay-for-a-white-boy lips, the freckles that covered his nose, and ending up… 

Do I love Sam as a character? Absolutely, he's one of the best. But he's not hot, he's a lapse in taste. Love conquers all, they say. 😔

Bishop - as one of exactly two Black men the poll listed, I want to give Bishop his flowers, but I have never read a good Bishop story where he wasn't awful. No baby gays, but no self-hating Black genocidaires, either.

[iridescentis]

EPISODE SIX

angie is such a sweetheart <333

jade's theatrics are definitely growing on me

i don't see how walking through them as they're going through choreo is helpful

I LOVE HER YES GIRL STAND UP FOR YOURSELF

you 'don't know how to talk to her' bro maybe idk let her leave the house?? listen to what she has to say?? think logically???

león if you're going to be cocky you need a better fashion sense

HOLD ON WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

CATO??? hands off my wife man

ramallo you are a legend yknow he seems like a better father figure than german

rafa palmer has the same vibe as cato so im choosing to see then as the same person

is??? pablo jealous?? of rafa flirting with angie??

OKAY I AM SOLD. HOLD THE FUCK UP. THEY ARE ADORABLE??? WHAT THE FUCK

they have such a fun dynamic and they've had at best two conversations

beto is high and consistently i believe it

NATI okay that's her name they never say it!!

i love beto but he is anxiety inducing

okay león is growing on me

i feel like im missing stuff because the english subtitles are dreadful

okay so delivery montage except violetta isn't going to explain the name mix up is she

sir what are you doing....

YESSS FIRE HIM!! HE IS USELESS!!!

STOP FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY WIFE. ANGIE IS TAKEN SIR. FUCK OFF UNKINDLY

olga helping violetta <3

call me crazy... im kind of getting vibes here?? girlfriend vibes perhaps??

AND DONE :D

[ntshastark]

NUlts lb

i am, once again, catching up on the last few weeks (but now it's just the anniversary oneshot, uxm and usm)

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Ultimate Universe: One Year In

lmao tony is literally the protagonist of this universe, so iconic of him

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i thought this was some rare southern hemisphere rep (HELL YEAH FOR SUMMER CHRISTMAS) but using fahrenheit??

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that one woman who got arrested for repeating the words on luigi mangione's (allegedly) bullets

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ah nvm just global warming. anyway, happy first day of summer! it means rainy season is finally here and the temperature should start to go down!! that's right bitch, i pulled a double jeopardy (i don't actually know if that's the right way to use this expression)!! yeah it's the southern hemisphere, but it's also the fucking tropics babeyyy

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oh wow. they finally did it. they made the worst possible nick fury. the ultimate son of a bitch, if you will.

==

ROBERTO????????????? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY BOY

==

LOL

LMAO EVEN

==

i was gonna say that's giving people way too much credit, but popular opinion on the ceo thing apparently proves me wrong so

==

is that a falcon suit?? so no sam? :(

==

HE KILLED MANTIS AND DUMDUM????????????????

==

ah damn, a huge shift on the status quo would be so interesting. well.

==

he should be at the club :(

also, thinking of 616 beto and illyana meeting these versions...

==

ok what the fuck are these things supposed to be

and why was everyone drawn with their eyes closed so much on this issue?? was it on purpose? does it mean something or is it just a stylistic choice?

==

...charles?

==

ah so the wolverine/winter soldier is logan. i was kinda expecting a plot twist where it'd be bucky (given logan's is out there calling himself the first mutant)

well, apparently the wolverine comic is gonna be a lot more classic x-men than uxm itself. i can't believe they're putting the x-men behind a paywall, and the pay is having to read one of logan's solo books. and i don't even get scott >:(

well, at least my faves didn't get saddled with the evil russian trope, so i guess it could be worse

==

Ultimate X-Men #10

i didn't even check if i should've read this one before the 'one year in thing' uhhh oops

==

me n the gc

==

i'm sorry, this looks so stupid

==

i genuinely don't know if i just don't vibe with peach momoko's style or if she's really getting sloppy because of deadlines (which, if it's the case, is totally understandable), but like

this is so ugly, i'm sorry. these are thumbnails.

==

sigh.

==

oh. uh.

oops?

==

is this hank???

==

yeah, i guess this makes a bit more sense coming before the 'one year in' thing, since the oneshot makes christmas references and so does the next comic (usm), but this one doesn't. i have absolutely no idea how big christmas is in japan, but i think it makes for a smoother read? (this is me thinking about my 6160 reading order btw)

==

Ultimate Spider-Man #12

they're married at this point

==

OOOOOOOOOOOOO EDDIE BROCK REF AND MJ FAMILY DRAMA

==

oh my god are the watsons going to be the focus of this issue, would hickman be that nice to me???? i mean, three whole women????

==

ma'am you're looking at him with his husband!!!! can't believe mj's mom is a homewrecker

==

oh my god

==

*banging on the table* WATSON FAMILY DRAMA WATSON FAMILY DRAMA WATSON FAMILY DRAMA

==

not posting a lot of screenshots of things i'm enjoying bc it'd just be the whole fucking issue atp

==

jjj being richard's cool uncle is certainly Something

==

guys i think i love the watson sisters

==

oh my god gayle is such an absolute bitch, i love her

==

wait, am i actually supposed to believe they're not fucking????? what's this whole thing been about then???????

(like, i didn't think they'd make it canon or anything, but i genuinely thought hickman was writing it with the intention that it'd be implied bc like. why the fuck else would you do half of what happened in this run)

==

damn. one of the best spider-man issues i've read in my entire life and i don't think peter's actually said a single word in it.

==

oh wait there's more

==

OH HOLY SHIT

HOHOHOLY SHIT, EVEN

==

OH WAIT THERE'S EVEN MORE

==

OH HOLY FUCKING SHIT, JONATHAN HICKMAN THE MAN THAT YOU ARE

[cattatonically]

The Witch's Power Play - Mia Monroe (Covens of Eaton Falls, book 2)

Synopsis

How to tame a vampire isn’t in any of my spell books.

My life changed forever the night my coven was attacked. I was scared and alone until my bestie Leo showed up. I trust him with my life. Good thing since he dragged me to the home of a notorious vampire. Even worse, another equally terrifying vampire is in charge of keeping an eye on me.

I did my best to comply and keep my distance from the stoic, domineering man who I shared a room with. I may have tried to flirt with him a couple times, a totally dumb move considering vampires aren’t exactly fans of witches. It didn’t work anyway. Once I was able to get away from him and back to the safety of my coven, I hightailed it out of there. I thought I would quickly forget him. I was wrong.

When we reunite, Beto let’s a surprising secret slip, leading me to make a decision that we both might regret. Who am I to deny a man his need to submit? Will Beto decide to trust me with his desires? Can I learn to keep a vampire in check? Don’t know, but I’m up for the challenge. If the war doesn’t tear us apart first.

The Witch’s Power Play  is an MM paranormal romance featuring a subby vampire who just wants to be good for someone, a sassy witch embracing his toppy side, a supernatural war causing havoc, a bunch of really annoying demons who show up at the worst time, and so much pining (at first). It is book two in the Covens of Eaton Falls series. Each book features a different couple with an ongoing conflict and therefore should be read in order.

My Thoughts

We were introduced to Presley and Beto in the first book, and I’m so glad to see them in this second book of what is proving to be a very, very enrapturing series!

With the revelation that witches and vampires aren’t quite the enemies they always thought they were, Presley wastes no time going right after what he wants – and what he wants is a surly vampire named Beto. While the threat of war still looms large over their heads, there’s no time like the present for Beto and Presley to get to know each other better.

But of course, they’re in the middle of a war. And with war comes absolute, pure chaos and change. So many changes, and in such quick succession, it makes my head spin. Just as Beto and Presley are willing to accept their attachment to each other, their relationship gets thrown for a loop. But the adapt – quickly. And they keep pushing forward, especially with the support of Leo, August, and their respective covens on their side.

But it’s not all change and chaos. Some things are revealed, and do shed light to the overall tension and mystery of the series. However, the more things that are revealed, the more there is to question. But with the discovery of the person who seems to be at the heart of the war they’re instigating, there’s something to confront and combat, if not outright stop.

There is still far more danger ahead, and way more that needs to be revealed. But I’m hooked. And I can’t wait to see what lies in store for our other sassy witches and not-so-devious vampires of the Eaton Falls covens.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I cannot stress enough how planned this man's entire political career has been. "Mayor Pete" didn't spring up organically. Small town mayors don't become national figures overnight because they run successful grassroots campaigns and appeal to voters as Washington outsiders. Maybe if he had been the mayor of Indianapolis I'd believe he could have stood on his own in 2020, but yeah, no. What REALLY happened was the DNC went fishing for a moderate centrist gay man from a red state to prop up as a future leader in the party. Obama came out of nowhere in 2004 and blew everyone away in 2008, and Dems have been trying to catch that lightning in a bottle ever since. Buttigieg is "electable," in the sense that he's inoffensive, boring, won't make any waves. They picked him because he's gay, but not Too Gay™, not flamboyant, not an advocate, just like the trans woman elected in Delaware this year (she's not Too Trans™, she's not gonna make a big deal about "having rights" or anything crazy like that). They hope that maybe if Pete's well spoken enough and middle-of-the-road enough and reaches across the aisle enough times that maybe Republicans will "come to their senses" and vote for him. They hoped Republicans wouldn't hate Biden as much as they hated Obama because he was old and white and moderate, and even though that BLEW UP in their faces they still hope the same thing for Pete! Republicans will NEVER vote for Pete Buttigieg, and he's too right-of-center to rally the Democratic base.

He's a fucking STOOGE!

Mark my words. The establishment is going to prop him up again REAL SOON. At best he'll be a flash in the pan like Beto O'Rourke in Texas or Stacy Abrams in Georgia, where everyone pretended they had a snowball's chance in hell and were gonna be the Next Big Thing™ until they weren't. At worst, he's another Hillary, another Kamala, a token candidate whose entire personality is "I'm not like other..."

It's his election to lose. JD Vance has it in the bag...

If you told me ten years ago that Donald Trump would become president (TWICE) I wouldn't believe you for one goddamn second.

I am no longer incredulous about Republicans.

You could give me ANY name and say they're gonna be president in 2035 and I'd shrug and say "yeah, that tracks." Ron DeSantis? Rick Scott? Marjory Taylor Green? Herschel Walker, Alex Jones, fuckin Kyle Rittenhouse? WHY THE FUCK NOT?!? I mean, it'll almost certainly be JD Vance next, but after him it could literally be anyone! It's a race to the bottom, and they're all tied for first.

Democrats, on the other hand, have ZERO electable names. I can guarantee you that Pete Buttigieg will NEVER become president. If he runs in 2028 and the Democratic party gives him the nomination the way they gave it to Clinton and Biden and Kamala he will lose in an EMBARRASSING landslide. I'm talking 1972, 1984, where the Republicans swept 49 states (well, it probably wouldn't be 49 this time around, more likely in the ballpark of 35+; every single swing state plus a handful of blues which are teetering on the edge like Virginia, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maine, New Jersey, etc.) "President Buttigieg" is a figment of the DNC's twisted imagination, and I hope they realize that now before they put all their eggs into another center-right-warmonger-masquerading-as-center-left basket.

Who the hell is in charge over there? I bet my life that not a single Democrat will learn any lessons from 2024. How many more times can they campaign on "maybe Republicans will vote for us this time" before they just fucking collapse? How do they still have a base? This is a watershed election. There's going to be a MAJOR demographic shift in the next decade, the kind of political realignment that will get its own name and be taught in history books. I wouldn't doubt it if Republicans manage to secure majority support from black and Hispanic voters by 2040, and the Democrats will piss their pants the whole time without ONCE reflecting on why that is or what they could have done to stop it.

I don't think the Democrats will ever dissolve like the Whigs, they're too entrenched, they have too much power (ironic, considering they never seem to FUCKING USE IT when in office) and they would nuke any attempts by members to jump ship and start fresh. If the party fractures, we all know the "moderate centrist" wing would retain control at a national level and pack its ranks with more and more conservatives, endless olive branches across the aisle to keep up the appearance of a Big Tent coalition, and real leftists will be squeezed out by the party apparatus.

[callmefitz]

fine. fine I did it. luca fic where massimo is trying to be a good parent for his teenage fish son. yes its the painfully awkward i know you’re gay talk. i wrote this at 2 am while projecting so this isn’t shakespeare, just a vibe. set sometime 3-4 years after the film but i think it’s implied enough.

—————————————————-

Alberto ran up the stairs, threw open the door, dropped his hat on the table and hastily washed his hands at the sink.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt, “I got caught up in, uh, well-“

“Showing off?” Massimo offered, turning from his workstation in the kitchen. Alberto laughed nervously and nodded- then paused- and shook his head while looking away.

“Well, I prefer the term ‘sharing with the community’” Alberto offered, before pulling out a large pot and placing it on the stove.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Massimo returned to the cutting the fish, “It’s a nice bike.”

It was a nice bike. Nice enough that the kids in Portorossa frequently begged Alberto to let them sit on it or ride it around the plaza. And who was he to say no? It was the coolest thing he had ever set his eyes on, let alone owned. Of course he let them use it. Alberto had been saving up his tip money from fish delivery all winter to buy it: a shiny, brand-new, red-hot Vesta. Just like the one Erocle used to parade around town on. Giulia and Luca were going to be so excited.

Alberto began pouring cups of water into the pot as he raised the heat, waiting for it to hit a soft boil. “So how much time do we have?”

Massimo glanced out the window facing the countryside, where the distance etchings of train tracks were visible, “About an hour. Luca’s parents will meet us at the station. Then, dinner.”

“An hour. Right. We can work with that,” Alberto said, mainly to himself, as Massimo continued with his fish. They both fell into a steady rhythm, as they stirred and simmered an outrageous amount of food.

While his hands were lost in repetition, Alberto’s mind wandered to Luca. Massimo liked to joke about how Luca never truly left, with all the letters and phone calls sent, but Alberto couldn’t disagree more. Words couldn’t capture the way Luca would say things, like how he yelled when he was excited and talk quickly when he was nervous. And sure, Alberto could read between the lines, and infer things, like how scrunched up words meant Luca was happy or excited and messy letters and wonky lines meant he was tired, but it wasn’t the real thing. And phone calls, while better, were fewer and far inbetween, and couldn’t capture the way Luca would move when talking, whether it was the way he walked or gestured, or the faces he would make and the way he would touch your shoulder or grab your arm to make a point. So no- Luca had truly left, and while Alberto had seen glimpses and pieces throughout the months, he preferred the whole Luca he got during the summer.

One hour. One hour and Alberto wouldn’t have to rely just on letters and voices. It would be just them again, like it was every summer, whether it be sleeping under the stars in Giulia’s hideout, or swimming out to the island to watch the sunsets, or spending afternoons filling up on gelato and playing futbol on the hot pavement. Giulia would be there too, and the trio would finally be complete. Just like how it was that first summer, and just how it was now.

Had Alberto mentioned he was excited?

“The pasta is boiling over,” Massimo provided helpfully, and Alberto was thrust back into reality.

He swore under his breath, moving the pot to another eye and turning the stove off. He sighed and grabbed for a towel to wipe the sides of the pot. Turning his back to Massimo, he began searching for a strainer, but was interrupted.

“Alberto.” Massimo put his knife down and turned slightly. His face was drawn so that his eyes peeked out from under his eyebrows and bore down to Alberto (no matter how tall Alberto got, Massimo was always, well, massive).

“There is something we need to talk about before the train comes in.”

And there it was. Or, rather, there it wasn’t, because those words never came out of Massimo’s mouth. Maybe it was because, despite everything between them, Massimo just wasn’t a big feelings guy. He was a man of few words who would rather hand-paint signs, mend hats, and hand-make pasta than say “I love you.” Not that Alberto cared much, about that, he couldn’t complain honestly, but the point was that Massimo never “had talks”. If something was serious to discuss in private, it was always “Alberto, a word”. Because Massimo was a man of few words. So it was understandable, then, that that string of words elicited panic in Alberto. Because never in a million years, not even when Massimo first asked Alberto to stay with him, did they ever have something they needed to talk about.

Good thing Alberto was good at handling panic. He was basically an expert.

“Yeah, like what?”

He held his elbow out to lean against the counter in a calm manner, but missed and instead landed on the red hot stove eye. All while maintaining a smirk-turned-grimace. Yep. Expert.

That was going to hurt later. A lot.

Massimo looked at Alberto, searching for something in his face, and, upon finding it, sighed, and turned to the window where the train-tracks were. Absentmindedly, he turned the faucet of the sink on, and letting it cool for a moment, held a rag under it. Once it was wet enough, he handed it to Alberto.

“Luca is a... good kid, no?” Massimo led after a moment of contemplation. Alberto took the rag, but his face scrunched up in confusion as he held it to his elbow. Faintly, he felt the familiar tingle of flesh-turning scale as the coolness took the edge from the burn. But the beginnings of a frown was settling on Alberto as he followed Massimo’s gaze to the train tracks.

“Yeah?”

Massimo nodded. “He is very smart. He writes often. He knows fish... but not as well as you do.”

Alberto inched closer to Massimo, “Yeah, he’s pretty cool. One of my best friends but... I think you know that.”

“He is a very good friend,” Massimo said, but something felt strange about the way he said it, “Handsome, too.”

Alberto’s body froze and his face heated up. Before he could say anything contradictory, however, Massimo continued.

“I know the way you two look at each other. Young love. It’s a good thing, especially when it’s between friends who have known each other for so long.” Massimo said slowly, “And if you ever want to take Luca out for some gelato on your Vespa... then I will be very happy for you, Beto. He’s a good kid. Good for you.”

Alberto wasn’t going to lie. He had thought about it, once or twice. In his head it always played out so incredibly natural, that a part of him assumed it would eventually happen. Giulia would be busy, either delivering fish or volunteering for the cup, and he and Luca would be on their own for the day. Maybe they bike to the top of Portorosso, or maybe they went out to the island or climbed a roof to watch the stars. Sometimes it would be just them having dinner together, and something would give- one of them would brush hands with the other, lean in just a little too close and stay there... then... well, it would be just like it to was. But more. And selfishly, maybe if they were more, Luca wouldn’t leave at the end of the season.

But Alberto couldn’t think like that. Luca loved school more than anything. Well, almost anything. He would never want to take that from him.

But Massimo was right. Luca was handsome. Summers in Portorosso had been kind to him, and they’ve both put on some healthy weight and muscle over the years. Even if they hadn’t been friends, Alberto had no doubt he would have been fond of Luca regardless.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon,” Albert said candidly. “But... Thanks. For that. I guess.”

Massimo shrugged. “You’d be surprised. Giulia tells me a lot.”

Impossible scenarios ran through Alberto’s head. The wheels were spinning so fast that smoke was practically spewing from his ears.

“Like what?”

Massimo glanced out the window again, “I guess he’ll just have to tell you when he gets here.”

[longboxd]

2022 comics reading log

In the early days of last year, I was inspired by some twitter mutuals to post my comics reading in the new year and kept it up from Jan 1 2022 till just about the bitter end. Something about it really helped keep me invigorated by the medium even in some pretty bleak times, so I’m going to keep it going this year, but here at Longboxd instead of on twitter, which I'm trying to spend less time at. Before I can do that though, I want to archive the 2022 entries in a spot that’s more permanent/less twitter-iffic, so here we go—pretty much every comic I read in 2022! (As transcribed from here)

Part 2: 22-38 (of 387)

(I can "only" post 30 images at a time here, so that’ll dictate the length of these catch-up posts)

22) Silver Star #1 by Jack Kirby & Mike Royer - Kirby’s Blubber? Very Beto vibes—very Lynchian, held together by spit and nonsense.

23) Shattered Earth #1 - The best story in this anthology has a horny dog that gets cucked by a wandering wasteland hippie.

24) Sun Runners #2

25) Shade, The Changing Man #50

26) True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys: NATIONAL ANTHEM - Narratively, it’s firmly in the "halcyon days of vertigo" mold, and that’s cool, but between Romero and Bellaire this is one of the more stunning art showcases I’ve seen in a while. God-tier coloring, IMO!

27) The Terminator #1 (1990) - Chris Warner tha gawd with nice chunky inks from Paul Guinan, and a script by DH genre MVP John Arcudi that swings between terse and pleasantly purple. This and the Predator series the year before (also drawn by Warner) set the mold for decades of movie tie-in books.

28 & 29) Blood n’ Guts #1 & 2 - These are very bad comics by a weird, probably bad dude who's weird & not always bad comics I grew up with. Not much to them (this is from one of Blair's big firehose-of-comics periods) other than a *great* logo I assume was made by Dave Cooper.

30) Alien Worlds #7 - I loved this series as a kid—it's mostly an art showcase (Corben, Morrow, Anderson & Perez in this issue!) but Bruce Jones' short stories are trashy scifi paperback anthology style fun, routinely see-sawing btwn kind of hokey & total bleak nihilism, often on the same page. one story, theoretically concerned w/recreating The Thing inside an implied sketch of a Wally Wood/EC planet setting, mostly actually focuses on infidelity leading to murder (a common Jones trope). In the end everyone dies after the revelation that their parkas are hungry aliens. 

31) Eclipse Monthly #2 by various

32) Sensation Comics #6 - This is the pure, uncut shit.

33) Head Lopper #15

34) Marvel Team-Up #101 - Robot hippies and Peter Parker favorably compares the trauma of Nighthawk killing his girlfriend in a drunk driving incident to Uncle Ben’s death.

35) The Swamp Thing: Becoming TPB

36) Head Lopper #16

37) Skull, The Slayer #1 - Sorta standard Th’unda etc white adventure guy thrown into a prehistoric setting to fight dinosaurs kinda thing, (the twist being that this guy? He’s a real piece of shit!) but Steve Gan does impressive work, and Marv Wolfman’s colors are surprisingly effective.

38) The Man-Thing #8 - I haven’t read many of these. Pacing is slow if not deliberate, vampy gothic vibes. With Ploog’s squishy art, it kinda reads like a Golden Age Underground. 

_______

To be continued! Read Part 1 here

[observers-journal]

Little did I know when I walked into the theatre to watch Black Panther Wakanda Forever on Thanksgiving, that I'll cross paths again with this actor called Tenoch Huerta and I'll be crushing hard on him and opening a fucking blog for him. He should be honored 😋 I'm gonna use TH and his characters only for this. He's the one. He shut the list for everyone. Thanks @okay-hotshot for the tag!

Husband: Mendel from Son of Monarchs (the brains and the profession)/Ale from blue demon before he was an ass and a cheater/the loving and caring aspect of Beto from Madres + Juan from forever purge.

Boyfriend: the real, the OG Tenoch Huerta. Not even the characters he plays. The real man. Coz he doesn't want to get married 😂 and I'm not sure if he's the commitment guy. But we'll have the time of our life together. Coz I had no clue I would come across a guy who's exactly the same as me: love for the arts and sciences, life and it's philosophy, endless dancing and drinking 😂, writing, goofy asses who seemed extrovert but are very private.

Home wrecker: I will have to agree with @okay-hotshot here. It is Namor. Ugh the grip he has over me.

Ex: Rafa from Narcos/ Gavilán from Vive Por Mi/Lupe from Días de gracia. Sexy ass mofos who are crazy in the head. We would have been super intense together but it wouldn't work out eventually. Need me some stability.

Best friend: can't stop at just best friend without developing feelings for this man but okay I'll take it. I wanna be friends with many of his characters: Sombra from Güeros, Manu from Mozart in the jungle, Chavez from Semana Santa. I would love to listen to the poor Bolivian guy Carlos he plays in the 33. And El búfalo from cloroformo, hilarious!

Honorary mention: his character in Nomads was actually very sweet. It reminds me of a similar situation I found myself in with a man who cleans stuff at my office complex. He and I still chat a lot, although unfortunately I had to turn down his request for something "more than friendship".

Geez, too much oversharing here. But there you go! As you can see, I am a devout Tenoch fan and have seen pretty much all of his filmography 😂🤣

Relationship Jumbo

No one tagged me to do this, I saw this on my dash and wanted to do it because it looked fun 😂 I’ll be using Oscar Isaac and Tenoch Huerta characters. 

Husband: Santiago “Pope” Garcia (this is my gut instinct I’m sorry)

Boyfriend: Mendel from Son of Monarchs or Jake Lockley, equally tied

Home wrecker: MCU Namor (I’m not sorry, Ryan Coogler himself said Namor is the type of man who would hit on other men’s wives)

Ex: Marc Spector (I’m sorry baby)

Baby daddy: 

Best friend: Steven Grant!!!

Tagging (only if you want to!): @talokanda-forever @observers-journal @v4mpires0ap @cutelatinagirl @venting402 @sammyscrnr @namorslutfanfiction @evillkan and anyone else who would like to join!

[lady-literature]

Flirting Fish

Hi, I fucking love the gay fish movie and it's currently all I can think about it so rip all my other projects ig.

inspired by 'better than coffee' because I read it and the whole 'Alberto flirting with Luca' thing, kinda as a joke until it's very much not a joke anymore just made me insane so here's this now.

I do not speak Italian so I am sorry for any errors I will undoubtedly make.

They’re a few weeks into the summer the first time it happens.

Alberto has already been up for hours, helping to man the boat with Massimo and then tend to their stall at the fish market after that. After three years of living in Portorosso, he’s long since grown used to waking up before the sun has even thought of rising over the sea.

Once upon a time, Luca had been too. Back when he was un piccolo contadino, tending to schools of fish and living off the reef, instead of being well on his way to a world-renowned erudito.

“Morning, sunshine!” Alberto says laughing, throwing a tanned arm across Luca’s shoulders and slightly jostling the smaller teen. Luca groans and attempts to hide himself in Alberto’s shoulder. “Haha! Well, aren’t you chipper this morning?”

Luca tilts his head just enough to look Alberto in the eye. “It’s too early.”

“It’s almost noon.”

“It’s summer,” Luca retorts, pouting. “You’re supposed to get to sleep in during summer.”

Alberto tsks at the groggy, sleepy-eyed look on his best friend’s face.

Oh, how his fancy schooling has spoiled him.

“I, of course, understand the need for beauty sleep, amico,” he playfully runs a hand through his ruly curls, flashing a charming smile that Luca doesn’t notice since he’s trying to nap on his shoulder. “But perhaps it would work better if you didn’t stay up half the night reading.”

“How can I sleep when the Americani e Russi are revolutionizing modern science?” Luca mumbles passionately. Even half-asleep he can give entire lectures about space and scientific discoveries, the utter nerd. “Luna 2 is the first man-made object on the moon, Alberto! È incredibile! And all the journals are talking about plants and animals being sent into space. If they can return unharmed that means it’s only a matter of time before we send people up there. Riesci a immaginare? Le ramificazioni scientifiche sarebbero-”

Normally, Alberto can listen to Luca ramble on about his crazy nerd stuff for ages. He only ever understands every other word, but it’s not so much the content as it is the way Luca gets when he talks about it.

Alberto couldn’t care less about Saturn or Russian spuds or whatever else. But he does care a damn lot about Luca, so he sits and listens and nods in all the right places cause it makes Luca happy.

But right now, with Luca content and passionate and so completely vulnerable, leaning on Alberto with his eyes closed, so trusting that Alberto won’t let him fall or trip or lead him off the pier, it makes something so intensely warm bubble up in his chest. Brighter than joy, and affection, and the relief he feels whenever Luca steps off the train after months of only letters and the grainy sound of his voice through the phone.

The feeling startles Alberto with its foreignness, knocks him off balance with its intensity. So he does what he always does when he feels unmoored and adrift.

He runs his mouth and does something ridiculous.

Immediately, Alberto drops his arm from around Luca’s shoulders and grabs at both his freckled cheeks instead, pinching them hard like he’s seen Nonnas do to their nipoti.

“Cute, cute, cute!” Alberto croons, shaking Luca’s face back and forth. “Beauty and brains? Santa mozzarella, save some for the rest of us, Luca.”

Immediately, Luca’s pout disappears with a yelp of surprise and he quickly bats away Alberto’s hands.

“Beto!” Luca scolds, hands over his steadily reddening cheeks. “Don’t do that!”

“What?” Alberto laughs, arms spread out wide. He can tell Luca isn't actually mad at him, just pleasantly annoyed and exasperatedly fond. So he keeps going. “I’m not wrong! You keep that up where anyone can see you, and Guilia and I are going to have to start beating the suitors off with sticks.” He mimes whacking someone with a stick to emphasize his point. “Like, I think you might steal my title of Portorosso’s most handsome bachelor. These days everyone wants an adorable brainiac, not a roguish bad boy, you know?”

Luca just looks at him, mouth opening and closing like some sort of guppy. Then, “Roguish bad boy?” he repeats disbelievingly.

“Well,” Alberto huffs, feeling the need to defend his honor, “it’s not like anyone else in this town gets up to as much trouble as I do.”

Luca snorts, finally letting his hands fall from his face. They’re… really red, actually. Maybe he did pinch a little harder than he meant to. Alberto frowns.

“Hey,” Alberto says, grabbing Luca’s elbow and dragging him forward again. “Let’s go get some gelato. Now that you’re awake, we should have enough time to grab some before our shift at the beach if we run.”

There. Gelato makes the best apologies without actually having to say sorry. He’ll even get Luca a double scoop, since, you know, he can never quite narrow down which flavor he wants and the indecision always stresses him out.

***

The good news is that his—well it wasn’t actually a plan per se, but whatever you want to call it, it worked!

Teasing Luca did make the strange, overwhelming feeling in his chest go away. It’s also funny and something Alberto likes doing… a lot, actually.

The bad news is that the feeling eventually came back.

[floralcreer]

A Genoa Holiday - Part 2

Alberto has dinner at Isabella’s house

“Oh Alberto look how tall you are now,” Isabella, Giulia’s mother said, as he and Luca walked into the home. He smiled, leaning down to kiss her cheeks as they said their hellos. “Sorry I wasn’t in when you arrived but your bag is up in Luca’s room.” She was very much like Giulia in looks, but that is where the resemblance stopped; Isabella was much calmer and patient. Alberto wondered if her spirit came from a weird mix of Massimo’s bravery and Isabella’s creativity.

“It’s fine, really. I only had a few minutes before I had to pick up Luca.” Alberto replied, smiling as Luca came into the kitchen, a big pink box on hand. “I brought Cannoli for dessert.”

“You are a credit to Massimo, Alberto. Luca, can you go fetch the girls, we’ll have dinner in the garden,” Luca nodded, rushing up the stairs, “and you can grab me that bowl up there, Mr Long Legs.” Alberto did as he was asked, grabbing the salad bowl from atop the fridge, placing it on the table and helping prep dinner. “How is Massimo?”

“Papa’s ok, still a bit shaken from the accident so I think he’s enjoying a weeks peace.” Isabella’s head went up, looking confused. “Did Giulia not say?”

“No, what accident?”

“We went out in a mild storm to help a fellow fisherman who’s engine cut out a week ago and he went over. He’s lucky to have a son who is a sea monster but it did shake him up. He… there was water in his lungs but we got him around pretty quick.” Isabella put a hand to her mouth. “He’s ok, I promise.”

“I am… he’s strong, life hasn’t been the kindest but he’s strong. I’ll call him after we’ve eaten. Poor you having to experience that. You’re very brave.” Alberto smiled, nodding and putting the salad in the bowl. “I’m going to collect those 3, heaven knows what they are up to. Sorry to ask so much of you but do you mind putting the table cloth and things out on the table?”

“Of course.” Alberto smiled, doing as he was asked. Isabella climbed the stairs, finding the 3 stood around Alberto’s case.

“I still don’t think we should look.” Bria whispered, both arms wrapped around one of Giulia’s, “if he brought you gifts he’ll give them too you.”

“Exactly.” Isabella said, making them all jump. “Also it’s very rude to look in a persons case without them. Dinner is ready.” They all mumbled apologies, rushing down stairs.

Dinner was filled with laughter, and Alberto and Bria got on so well both of their partners, for a moment, got a bit jealous. Bria hadn’t laughed so much in a while, both being able to converse, mostly about Giulia, with ease. Giulia and Luca were impressed, Bria was very shy and quiet with most people. Alberto dazzled most people he met since he started working on the boats, growing stronger and more handsome as the days passed. He told Luca in every phone call and letter how beautiful he was, but Luca knew Alberto was the more conventional attractive of the two. He didn’t mind.

“Yes, Giulia,” Isabella said, interrupting one of Alberto’s stories about him and Massimo’s trips, “you never said your father had an accident. You need to tell me these things.” The table fell into an uncomfortable silence. Alberto threw Giulia a small ‘sorry’ smile.

“I didn’t think you’d care,” she said, looking down into her wine glass. Bria threw her a sad glance, knowing what was coming next. “You’re not married. And you’re dating that guy.” They had split when Giulia was 9, but it was only now Isabella felt confident to date.

“Giulietta… He is still your father. I’m going to call him.” Isabella got up, leaving the table in the silence. Luca took her hand and squeezed it, before leaning back and quietly opening the window so they could listen. They almost held their breath. “Massimo… hi, it’s Bella, Alberto told me about what happened, are you ok?…. Yeah Giulia didn’t mention it, and she’s in trouble for not telling me… but I’m glad you’re ok. Still making me worry after all this time.”

“I’m getting the cannolis.” Giulia said, standing up. Alberto nudged Luca, a sign for him to leave the siblings for a moment.

“No I’ll get them, you stay.” Luca said, getting up.

“I’ll get more water.” Bria added, following Luca into the house. Alberto moved into Bria’s chair, putting an arm around his sister as they listened to Isabella and Massimo talk. Giulia leant in, her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him a little.

“I’m glad your here.” Giulia muttered, and Alberto squeezed her closer. “Thank you…”

“It’s what brothers are for.”

“Do you think Massimo and Isabella will get together again? The conversation was very friendly.” Luca asked, curling closer to Alberto. They were on Luca’s bed, listening to the city slow down beneath the open window. Luca started drawing circles on the older man’s bare chest, both only in shorts due to the heat. “But I don’t want Giulia to get her hopes up.”

“I know… best not say anything. I don’t like seeing her this upset. She’s really upset about her parents dating other people. I think she always hoped they would get back together one day.” Alberto replied, fiddling with Luca’s shell necklace Alberto had made for him. Luca sat up, leaning over Alberto.

“Massimo is dating someone? Is it Signora Emma? Signora Greta?” Alberto laughed, which made Luca smile.

“My lips are sealed.”

“They better not be because,” Luca leaned down and pressed a few kisses to his lips, “I have more stuff I want to say.” Alberto muttered ‘later’ pulling Luca down for more kisses. After a few moments (or minutes, Luca wasn’t sure), Luca pulled away, looking a bit embarrassed. “I… I still don’t want to do… it yet.”

“Hey, piccolo, I know,” Alberto sat up, taking Luca’s hand in his, “I’m happy to wait.”

“I don’t want anyone to hear us it’s… embarrassing…” Luca was bright red, not looking at Alberto, who just smiled, leaning down and into his bag and pulling out a letter, holding it out to Luca. “What’s this?” The younger took the letter, opening it and reading the words ‘we look forward to welcoming you too the Hotel Milano’ looking at Alberto. “Milan?”

“It’s for your birthday, I’ve got it all planned out and hey,” he took both of Luca’s hands, entwining their fingers, “I will wait as long as you need me too. I am not expecting you to ever feel like you want to do that, but it will just be us, and if you want to, then sure. I only want to if you do.” Luca was tearing up, leaping and hugging Alberto tightly.

“I love you so much. Thank you, beto.”

“I love you too bubble.” Luca grinned, rubbing his nose against Alberto’s. “I’m still not telling you who my dad is dating.”

Just a little side note; I won’t be writing Alberto and Luca’s first time. They are aged up here but it still makes me uncomfortable. If you guys want to, feel free to use this set up.