#Event: Block party 2024

[father-jude]

location: block party

@intxication

It was not often that Jude caught sight of Mathias before the younger man saw him. He wasn't exactly hard to spot, 6'3" wearing all black most of the time. But with the crowd it had given Jude the rare opportunity to look at Mathias without the other knowing. Taking in not just what he was wearing but seeing a furtive look and movement in the younger man that wasn't usually there. Seeing that Mathias was staying on the edges of things.

He walked over to Mathias, keeping his arms crossed over his chest before he spoke, "Are you alright? You seem... Distracted. Were you looking for someone?"

[wonderlesch]

Can’t Miss January 2024 Events

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Hello and welcome to Can’t Miss January 2024 Events! Read on to discover Fan Expo New Orleans, Copper State Beer Festival, COSine Convention and more! Let’s get 2024 started right music, Sci-Fi and beer. Lots of beer! Slainte! It’s a New Day + Breakfast of Champions Block Party – January 1, 2024 Celebrate a brand new year with San Francisco’s longest-running New Year’s Day celebration! 10…

[koshkamartell]

This is my submission for the Dead Dove December 2024 event held by my dear friend @romana-after-dark. I hope you guys like it!

summary: oneshot set in AU, no outbreak. You are a down on your luck waitress who impulsively steals from a man at a casino one night. Unfortunately for you, he doesn't give up easily.

warnings: noncon anal penetration, degradation, coarse language, noncon digital penetration, gambling, theft, slut shaming, mention of sex work, unspecified hefty age gap, reader is feminine but not described in detail.

word count: 4,500

You knew he might try find you, but you didn't think he would go any further than the front doors of the casino. You thought he would stalk around the black jack tables a few times, search throughout the scores the slot machines, maybe even check the high rollers lounge and the rooftop balcony. You knew he would be angry when he realised what you did but you didn't expect him to bother chasing you too far.

You had high tailed it out of there pretty quickly once you stole the chips and cashed out, anyway. Out onto the strip you strutted, abuzz with smug triumph, holding tightly to your purse stuffed with cash. You checked into a hotel a few blocks away, deciding to treat yourself to a deluxe room with a queen sized bed and room service.

Sure, you had done the wrong thing. You knew you had. It wasn't that you were a bad person, though - you were just desparate. Living in a shitty trailer and working your ass off waitressing had driven you to the edge of hopelessness. You were sick of slaving away to earn enough money to survive through the week. You were sick of the disgusting men who oogled you and treated you like a piece of meat while you served them burgers and fries and endless cups of coffee. You had been beaten down by the hardships of life for years now and there never seemed to be any hope for a better future for you. You were never granted a reprieve from the drudgery of your dull existence, not even for a day.

Until the night you met Joel and got greedy.

Joel Miller rarely gambled. He enjoyed the occasional game of poker or darts with his work buddies but he was never a hustler. He had seen his little brother Tommy lose way too much money betting on football games and amateur poker tournaments to want to take a risk himself. He was definitely the more sensible of the two.

He wasn't a party animal, either. It wasn't in his nature to be wild and carefree; becoming a single dad at a young age and raising a daughter while earning a living as a contractor had moulded him into a pragmatic, no-nonsense kind of man. His workaholic dedication to his profession and his responsibilities as a parent had left little room for pleasure in his personal life, anyway.

And even though Joel's daughter is an adult now, living her own life in another state, he still leads a quiet existence outside work. Tommy teases him for being a boring old bastard, but the truth is Joel has always craved a simple life, so he's content with how things are. He downs a whiskey every night and more often than not falls asleep on the couch while watching a movie.

But tonight is different. One of the guys in his work crew is having a bachelor party, so Tommy finally had a good reason to drag Joel out of the house to enjoy a night out. Even though he grumbled and groused about being too old for this shit, Joel acquiesced and joined the group of men for a night of bar hopping (and even a visit to a strip club). At Tommy's insistence they ended up stopping at one of the casinos to try their luck at some poker and blackjack.

It took some convincing from the guys and a few shots of whiskey to get Joel to loosen up enough to get into the spirit of things. He won some money and lost some money but actually managed to have some fun along the way. He was going to call it a night but decided to lay a last minute bet at the roulette table, just for the hell of it. To his surprise he ended up winning.

"You lucky son of a bitch," Tommy laughed in shock, clapping Joel on the shoulder. "Who woulda thought?"

Joel grinned smugly and accepted the stack of chips offered to him by the table dealer. Emboldened by the win and the guys encouragement, Joel placed another bet on the roulette table but promised himself it was his last for the night. He braced himself for disappointment when the spinning wheel slowed down, reminding himself that everybody's luck ran out at some stage. The little round ball bobbled along the slots until it came to a halt on red 23, the slot that Joel had placed his chips on.

The men all whooped and cheered when they saw the result and Joel couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. The dealer pushed a large stack of chips towards Joel with an uttered congratulations, sir.

"Keep goin', man," Tommy whispered in his ear. "You're fuckin' killin' it, got a lucky streak, Joel, you gotta ride it."

Joel shook his head and collected the stacks of chips in his hands. "Tom, I just won ten grand. Odds are I'm gonna lose it all if I keep goin'."

Satisfied with his takings and ready to go home, Joel bid his brother and friends goodnight and went on his way to the cashier cage to cash out his winnings. He was standing in line waiting to be served when something bumped his elbow. He turned to look at what had knocked him, and there his eyes fell upon you.

You. Young, pretty, well made up. Dress short enough to show off your legs but just long enough to cover your ass. His eyes flickered down the length of your body and back up again, trailing over your cleavage before meeting your eyes. You were gorgeous.

"Oh, sorry about that!" You smiled brightly. "Didn't mean to run into you, mister."

Joel gave you a polite smile in return. "No problem, ma'am."

You fluttered your eyelids and sashayed away from him, glancing over your shoulder with a flirty little smirk. Joel felt his cheeks blush as he watched you leave, his gaze glued to the way your ass swayed with each step of your heels. Goddamn. He felt the blood rush to his cock. Were you actually flirting with him? No, surely not. You were way too young, way too attractive to want an old man like him. Shit, maybe you were a working girl, looking for a john for the night.

Joel shook his head and turned back to face the cashier's cage. He would have to resign himself to the fantasies in his head tonight.

It wasn't until he finally arrived at the cashier's desk and had his chips counted that Joel realised you had stolen $5,000 from him.

It has been about half an hour since your escape.

Your dress, underwear and heels lay discarded in a heap on the floor of your hotel room. Your unzipped purse sits on the nightstand by the bed, a thick wad of cash poking out from its pocket. You slip into a fluffy white bathrobe and stretch out on the bed to flick through the TV channels. Soon you'll take a bubble bath in the luxurious looking tub, then when your room service order arrives you'll stuff yourself with nachoes and a deluxe chocolate milkshake.

Fuck. You can't remember the last time you had experienced the granduer of being so pampered. You close your eyes for and sigh, savouring the moment of serenity for a minute. Right now you're in heaven, your own personal bubble of indulgence, and it feels fucking amazing.

A knock at the door startles you from your dreamy reverie. That must be room service, you guess. It has arrived earlier than expected, before you had a chance to hop in the bath, but a change in plans doesn't bother you too much. You've got all night, after all. You smile to yourself as you scramble off the bed and pad over to the door.

You twist the handle and open the door, expecting to be greeted by a smiling hotel employee carrying a fancy silver tray. Instead, you are met with the scowling face of the man you conned at the casino, his tall figure crowding the doorway. The sight of him right before you is like a nightemarish hallucination, and you gasp in fright, your heart leaping into your throat.

Despite being so caught off guard by his appearance your survival instincts quickly kick in. You hurry to try and slam the door shut but he's too swift; he wedges his work boot over the threshold to prevent it from closing before shouldering his way inside the room. You squeal and stumble backwards toward the bed, terrified by the intrusion.

How did he find you?

Joel calmly closes the door behind him and turns the lock. The soft sound of the latchbolt clicking into place prompts an ominous twist of dread to coil within your stomach.

Is he going to kill you?

"I'm sor--" you begin to say.

"No one ever teach you right from wrong?" Joel barks angrily, cutting you off. He glares at you with his dark eyes full of ire, his mouth set in a snarl of disgust. His large hands fidget by his sides and you worry that he's trying to repress the urge to beat the shit out of you.

Your heart hammers in your chest as your brain buzzes with anxiety and trepidation. You don't know what to do or say now that he's in such close proximity to you, his intimidating presence crushing all sense of security and confidence from you, leaving not even a modicum of courage in its wake.

Even though your mouth is dry and your throat feels like sandpaper, you speak impulsively before even thinking. "I didn't--"

"Think ya can just do whatever the hell you want?" He snaps, taking a step in your direction. "Steal from hard workin' folk and mess up their lives?"

"No!" You shake your head vehemently and shuffle blindly around the bedframe, not daring to take your eyes off of him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean--"

Joel snorts derisively and takes another step closer; his footfall is slow and heavy, like he's unhurried to close the gap between you. "Didn't mean to rob me? Didn't meant to steal my money and fuck off?"

"I'll pay you back!" You blurt out in panic.

"Damn right you will," he snipes back. "Every fuckin' cent of it."

You swallow thickly and nod. "O-okay, so, I already spent some to get this room - but only for one night, I swear!" The explanation tumbles from your mouth. "But I can give you the rest now, and I promise I will pay you back!"

Joel's eyes narrow and you see his jaw tick once. "When?" He asks flatly. You stare at him and chew your bottom lip for a moment in deliberation. You already spent your weeks wage on rent and bills, leaving you with about ten dollars to your name until next week.

Shit.

"I, uhm, I get paid next Friday," you mumble sheepishly. "I can get you the money then."

He sighs, a heavy exhalation of frustration from his nose. He shakes his head and puts his hands on his hips. "'S too late."

"Please, please give me this one chance," you beseech, clasping your hands in front of you, your eyes wide and pleading. "Just give me until then."

"How much? How much did you use for this room?" Joel demands. You pause, trying to remember the nightly rate the concierge charged as well as mentally calculate the added room service.

"Uhm, I-I think it's a-a-bout $350," you stutter nervously. He huffs an exasperated sigh and runs his hand over the bottom half of his face. Seeing the man you swindled look so frustrated makes you feel embarrassed and childlike. "I'm sorry..." you mumble, ashamed of your greed.

"Here's what's gonna happen," Joel tells you sternly. "I'm gonna take back what you stole from me now, and you're gonna pay me that $350 back come Friday. No more excuses, you hear?"

"Yes, ofcourse," you agree earnestly, "I'll pay back every cent, like you said."

You glance over to the purse on the nightstand Joel stares at you in comtemplative silence, his jaw ticking as he assesses the situation.

"You do this often?" Joel asks after a few beats, his voice considerably more softer than before. It seems like he's gradually calming down. "That little slick act, battin' your eyes while you're stealin' from a man."

"No," you reply meekly, dropping your eyes to the floor. "I don't. I'm sorry. I'm just...I'm struggling with money right now...I was desperate."

A tense silence falls upon the room after your shameful admission. You hope he's taking pity upon you, that he can see just how apologetic you really are. But when your gaze shifts from the ground back up to Joel, you can immediately ascertain that sympathy for your circumstances is the last thing on his mind.

Joel remains where he stands, as still as a statue, but there's an unsettling intensity swirling within his chocolate brown orbs as he stares you down. The wrath which had consumed him is no longer reflected in his gaze; it has been replaced by something more sinister - something hungry, predatory. It sends a shiver up your spine.

Suddenly you feel incredibly self conscious; although you are covered by the plush terrytowel robe you feel naked and on display infront of him. You clutch the collar of your robe closed and clear your throat.

"Maybe you can show me just how desperate you are for that money," Joel muses darkly.

Your blood runs cold at the insinuation.

You've got to get out of here as fast as you can.

When he takes another step in your direction, you don't hesitate to launch yourself toward the bathroom to escape. He's swift to follow you, though; he sprints after you and crashes his shoulder against the bathroom door, flinging it wide open, leaving you trapped and with no where to run from him.

Joel might be really fucking angry at your audacity to steal from him, but there is something else bubbling within the scorching heat of his wrath that is far more wicked. It hit him the second you opened the door and gawped at him with wide, scared eyes and a trembling bottom lip. It intensified the longer he watched you flounder and apologise, so helpless and desperate for his understanding, and he found he could not ignore it for long. You look even more pretty than he recalled, especially when you are just wearing that hotel bathrobe.

What had started as a simmering in Joel's loins has escalated into a depraved and maddening state of arousal that has his cock now rock hard in his jeans. Seeing you plead and admit to your recklessness particularly excited him, perhaps because he saw it as an acquiescence to punishment. And Joel was more than happy to dole out punishment - whether you consented to it or not.

He cannot describe the victorious surge of power that overcomes him when he successfully captures you in his grasp. He grips a hunk of hair at the top of your head to keep you still, and you grimace as your scalp stings with the tight pull. His mouth sets into a grim line of determination while his other hand clumsily rips the bathrobe from your body. You shriek and bat at him with curled fists, putting up as much of a fight as you possibly can, but it makes no impact upon him at all - you are so small and weak in comparison to his tall, burly frame.

"Fuck sake," Joel snaps irritably. "Quit fightin' me." He throws the robe to the ground, leaving your naked body trembling with fear before him. He doesn't stop to touch you or even look at you - he just manhandles you over to the sink and shoves your body around to face the mirror. "Hold still."

He pins your hips against the edge of the sink with his own, the action causing your bones to press painfully into the cool marble surface. His iron grip on your hair forces your neck upright so that your face is directly infront of the mirror. You can feel the rough denim of his jeans on the backs of your thighs and the metal of his belt buckle on your ass.

"How about you show me some more of your little tricks," grunts, his low voice gravelly and slightly breathless. "How's that sound?"

"P-p-please don't," you sob, your vision blurring with warm tears. He ignores you, using the side of his boot to kick at your foot and spread your legs apart. You feel his hand jostle behind you as he hurries to unbuckle his belt.

"You want cash so bad?" Joel taunts in your ear, hastily unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. "You can earn it. "

He yanks his jeans and underwear down his meaty thighs, freeing his heavy balls and erect cock out of the confines of his underwear, the head already wet with precum. He uses his grip on your hair to roughly push the front of your upper body flat to the bathroom vanity. Your face smushes uncomfortably against the mirror.

"Arch your ass out, bitch." Joel jabs his elbow into the middle of your spine, forcing your hips to involuntarily tilt. "Let me see that fuckin' ass."

His other hand grabs your asscheek and he digs his blunt fingernails into the meat of your flesh, earning a pathetic whine from you. He pulls your cheek to the side to expose your asshole to his perverted gaze before letting out a hungry groan. "Pretty little hole you got there, honey."

He was planning on just fucking your pussy, but holy shit, seeing you spread like this is so tantalising, like your ass is just waiting to be split wide open.

He can't resist.

Joel spits a warm wad of saliva onto your asscrack and watches it slide down to your asshole. Your body jolts at the weird sensation, your limbs vibrating with fear, but Joel's steel grip of your hair keeps you restrained against the vanity.

He uses the fat pads of his two fingers to smear the glob of spit over your hole. He's decided to be generous tonight, giving you a little preparation so you won't pass out on his dick. Yeah, he wants to punish you, but he also doesn't want the goddamn concierge busting down the door because you're screaming in pain.

His fingertips prod at your ring with the clear intention of opening you up, and that's when you start to cry harder, warbling pleas for him to stop and to not to go any further. Joel smirks to himself and pays no heed to your words; he sinks his two fingers into your hole, all the way to his middle knuckles, and you wail at the sharp discomfort.

"Shut up," Joel orders, beginning to scissor his fingers in and out of you. He stares down at his minstrations while you weep pitifully. He's mesmerised by the way your hole clenches and unclenches around his digits, imaginging how perfect you would feel around his cock, squeezing him just right. He keeps fingering you for a little longer until his desire becomes too ravenous to put off any longer.

Joel withdraws his fingers from you, briefly admiring the way you clench around nothing. He takes hold of the head of his cock and jams it against the puckered ring of your asshole, ready to push inside.  You start to screech and bash your legs against the vanity in distressed protest, but Joel is quick to subdue you. He crushes his knees into the backs of your thighs, his burly frame easily constraining your lower half.

"Better for both of us if you stop strugglin'," he growls. "Gonna hurt a hell of'a alot more if you don't."

He doesn't waste any longer. He drives his hips forward and forcefully jabs the tip of his fat dick through the first tight ring of your asshole. Your cries suddenly cease as the burning pain engulfs you, your eyes squeezing shut and your mouth falling open in a silent scream. The room fills with the sound of Joel's heavy breathing and the jangle of his belt buckle. He ruts into you, gradually feeding his thick length further inside your ass with shallow, stuttering bursts.

"That's it," Joel croons, voice slurring with lust. "Take it, baby, just take it."

Satisfied that you're now in a state of paralysed submission, he releases his hand from your hair and siezes the cheeks of your ass in both his meaty palms. He spreads them wide and tilts his chin down to watch your defilement, hypnotised by the sight of his cock slowly spearing your tight hole.

Joel eventually slides all the way inside you, his pubic bone flush with the globes of your ass and his heavy balls pressed against the lips of your neglected pussy. He moans brokenly as he revels in the snug warmth enveloping the entirety of his dick.

"Goddamn," he mumbles to himself. "So tight."

Joel retracts his hips until he's pulled almost all the way out of your asshole, then he plunges back inside in one smooth stroke. You expel a guttural howl and grip the edge of the sink so tight your fingertips turn white, your whole body quivering below him.

"Actin' like you ain't never been assfucked before," Joel groans out. He withdraws once more, but this time he slams back into your body with a mighty thrust that forces you to rise up to your tiptoes. He takes pleasure in the ragged scream that rips from your throat and the way your hole contracts around his dick.

"N-n-no," you manage to choke out, your throat thick with unshed tears and mucus. Joel slides his large calloused hands around the curve of your hips to hold you in place before repeating the action again. You bawl again and reach a shaky arm behind you to push against his belly, a futile attempt to get him to stop.

"Don't tell me a slut like you ain't had a dick up her ass," he spits down at you. "Bet that's exactly how you earn your money. When you ain't stealin' it.'

It is impossible for you to muster a response when Joel begins to cant his hips in long strokes, gradually busting you open. The momentum of his broad body keeps your face shoved close against the mirror, the glass fogging with every loud, agonised sob you emit. His balls smack lewdly against your skin with each thrust.

Your body goes slack against the vanity counter as Joel continues to violate you over and over. He's lost in the animalistic pursuit of his pleasure and your punishment, his hefty cock barrelling in and out of your tight asshole with a merciless rhythm. His fingers squeeze your hips in a bruising hold. You feel so good wrapped around him, too fragile to fight back.

"Thought about fuckin' ya," Joel admits inbetween heavy pants. "At the casino. Wanted to fuck you so bad when I first saw ya."

You weep pathetically, lungs aching with every battered breath you inhale, your body going more slack and weak the longer Joel indulges in your suffering. He is so big, bigger than any other man you've ever been with, and there is no way you could adjust to his girth so suddenly, especially in your ass.

"Maybe I shoulda just slipped you a twenty. Bet that woulda had you droppin' your panties right then and there."

Saliva pools in your mouth and drips out the corners of your lips as your mind starts to detach from your physical body.

"Wreckin' ya good, ain't that right, baby?" Joel moans. "Fillin' you up so good, ain't gonna be able to walk for days."

He continues fucking you with a possessed, primal rapacity. He can't remember the last time he fucked with such reckless abandon - maybe never - and he knows he won't last long. He's too drunk on the domination he holds over you to delay his orgasm any longer.

"Gonna ruin this slutty asshole. Have you leakin' everywhere."

Joel pistons into you harder and faster as he chases his orgasm. His heart beat pounds in his ears and he can no longer hear your cries when his escasty soon reaches a fever pitch. It hits him with a blinding intensity that he wasn't prepared for; his head back falls back and his eyes squeeze shut as he explodes inside your ass.

"Fuck," he grunts and huffs like a beast. "Fuck, take it, ya little whore, take it all."

You whimper as he slows down his movements to a rocking motion, sawing back and forth to let your asshole milk the cum from his cock. When he's finished, Joel slips his softening cock out of you, coaxing a vulgar squelching sound from your hole.

He staggers backward, his gait slightly off balance as he comes down from the high of his orgasm. His chest heaves as he stares at your naked ravaged body sprawled infront of him. Your legs tremble for a moment before you collapse onto the bathroom floor, unable to remain standing without Joel's strength pinning you. You hug your arms around your shaking body and curl up on the ground, tears and snot spilling down your face.

Joel watches you wordlessly. He wipes his hand down his sweaty face and sighs. He doesn't feel remorse - why should he? You ripped him off. You stole money he needs for his business, for his house, for his daughter. You deserved this.

You don't dare look at him while he hitches up his underwear and jeans. All you want is for this nightmare of a man to finally leave you alone to lick your wounds. He tucks himself back in and belts up while you dig your fingernails into your arms, deep enough to draw blood.

You hear the heavy footfalls of his boots as he swaggers out of the bathroom. He crosses to the nightstand and retrieves the wad of cash from your purse. He stops to study your ID card, noting your age and your name. Fuck, you're younger than he thought. He scans over your address. And you live in a shitty part of town. Maybe you really were desperate. He flicks through the bills of money and counts, making sure the $4,650 is still there, then stuffs it in his pocket.

Joel walks back to the bathroom but doesn't enter, instead lingering outside, not bothering to give you another look. "Forget the three fifty," he calls from the doorway, his voice gruff. "You earned it."

It goes quiet for a few moments, then you hear the front door unlock and open. It shuts with a resounding thud and your wish to be alone is granted.

tags - @romana-after-dark @romanarose

[mariacallous]

Glad people are finally finding out that these Pro Palestine protestors are ratfuckers-by-design at best (and Republicans at worst) and that's why they support Trump:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/08/dnc-palestinian-gaza-protests/679524/

One month ago, an NBC News headline reported:

Protesters made a tiny footprint at the RNC in Milwaukee. Other than a modest daytime march on Monday afternoon, the first day of the Republican National Convention, there were virtually no protests over the event’s four days and nights.

Obviously, the story from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago is already proving different.

This is part of a pattern. Gather any large number of Democrats together, in almost any city or state, whether at rallies, fundraisers, or presidential appearances, and pro-Palestinian protesters will try to wreck the event. These actions have been building to threats of outright violence. Pro-Trump and Republican events, meanwhile, are almost always left in peace.

Of the two big parties, the Democrats are more emotionally sympathetic to Palestinian suffering. The Biden administration is working to negotiate the cease-fire that the pro-Palestinian camp claims to want. The administration has provided hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. President Joe Biden’s terms for ending the fighting in Gaza envision a rapid movement to full Palestinian statehood.

By contrast, former President Donald Trump uses Palestinian as an insult. His administration moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights. In 2016, Trump campaigned on a complete shutdown of travel by Muslims into the United States; Trump now speaks of deporting campus anti-Israel protesters. He has pledged to block Gaza refugees from entering the United States.

Trump wants to tell the story that he and his party will enforce public order. He alleges that Democrats cannot or will not protect Americans against chaos spread by extremist elements. The pro-Palestinian movement works every day to create images that support Trump’s argument. As a visibly annoyed Vice President Kamala Harris asked protesters in Detroit earlier this month: Do they want to elect Donald Trump?

Not all pro-Palestinian demonstrators are thinking about the election. Many seem driven by moral outrage or ideological passion. But for those who are thinking strategically, the answer is obvious: Yes, they want to elect Trump. Of course they want to elect Trump. Electing Trump is their best—and maybe only—hope.

To understand why, cast your mind back a quarter century.

In the election of 2000, Vice President Al Gore faced Texas Governor George W. Bush. Gore probably would have won in a straight two-way contest. But that same year, the progressive advocate Ralph Nader entered the race as a third-party challenger—and he pulled just enough of the vote to tip the Electoral College and the presidency toward Bush.

Nader later professed regret for running as a third-party candidate. But at the time, Nader understood exactly what he was doing. Defeating Gore and electing Bush was the intended and declared purpose of Nader’s candidacy. Nader detailed his logic in many speeches, including this one to the summer-2000 convention of the NAACP:

If you ever wondered why the right wing and the corporate wing of the Democratic Party has so much more power over that party than the progressive wing, it’s because the right wing and the corporate wing have somewhere to go: It’s called the Republican Party. And so they’re catered to and they’re regaled—like the Democratic Leadership Council, they’re catered to and they’re regaled. But if you look at the progressive wing … they have nowhere to go. And you know when you’re told that you have nowhere to go, you get taken for granted. And when you get taken for granted, you get taken.

To paraphrase his argument even more bluntly: If progressives caused the Democrats to lose the presidency in the election of 2000, then Democrats would take progressives more seriously in all the elections that followed.

Nader’s logic was not altogether wrong. In many ways, the post-2000 Democratic Party has shifted well to the left of where the party was in the 1980s and ’90s. But catering to the party’s left has cost Democrats winnable races, and with them, key priorities: The Iraq War and 20 years of inaction on climate change head the list of progressive disappointments since the 2000 election, and the list extends from there. Whether or not the shift was worth the price, Nader was neither ignorant nor deceived. He identified his goal and willingly accepted the risks for himself and his movement.

So it is now with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators of 2024.

They start with a fundamental political problem: Their cause is not popular. Solid majorities of Americans accept Israel’s war in Gaza as valid and fiercely condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks as unacceptable. The exact margin varies from poll to poll depending on how the question is asked, but when presented with a binary choice between Israel and the Palestinians, Americans prefer Israel by a factor of at least two to one.

The brute fact of those numbers makes it very difficult for pro-Palestinian activists to win elections. In this cycle, despite all the emotion stirred by the Gaza war, two of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress lost their primaries to pro-Israel challengers.

From the point of view of any practical politician: If a cause is so unpopular that it cannot help its friends, why listen to its advocates?

The only answer to that question, again from the practical point of view, is the message of the protesters in Chicago: Maybe we can’t help you if you do listen to us, but we can hurt you if you don’t!

Think of it another way. Since the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7 and the Israeli response, pro-Palestinian protesters have marched and agitated all over the United States. They have occupied college campuses. They have impeded access to Jewish schools, businesses, and places of worship. They have posted impassioned words and images on social media.

Yet all of their militant action has barely budged U.S. policy. Arms, intelligence, and economic assistance continue to flow from the United States to Israel. U.S. military forces cooperate with Israel against Iranian proxies in Lebanon and Yemen. Although the U.S. has imposed restraint on some Israeli operations, Israel has mostly been allowed to fight its own war in its own way.

These were President Biden’s decisions, not Vice President Harris’s. But she was the second-highest-ranking member of the administration. If Biden’s deputy inherits Biden’s office, the message is clear: His administration’s record of support for Israel carried no meaningful political price. All of those street demonstrations and campus occupations will have amounted to so much empty noise. All of those articles arguing that Gaza explained Biden’s troubles with young voters would be exposed as ideological wishcasting.

If Harris wins, the pro-Palestinian movement will have lost.

If Harris loses, however, pro-Palestinian protesters can claim that they were responsible for her defeat. That claim might not be true—in fact it probably would not be true—but try disproving it. The pro-Palestinian movement would have at least some basis to argue: You lost because you alienated us.

If Harris wins, she may want to do something about the pro-Palestinian cause—for humanitarian reasons, for reasons of diplomacy and geopolitics, for reasons of Democratic-constituency management in particular congressional districts. But she won’t have to do it. She’ll know that the protesters tried to beat her, and they failed.

If Harris loses, however, future Democratic candidates will tread more carefully on Israeli-Palestinian terrain. Even if they privately doubt that the party’s position on Gaza explains anything truly important, they will be worried by advisers and donors who will believe it or who will want to believe it.

But what about Trump? Why aren’t the pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Chicago more fearful of Trump’s possible return to the presidency?

Although the pro-Palestine cause attracts support from progressives, it is not exactly a progressive cause. Americans associate progressivism with secularism, feminism, and gay-rights advocacy, among other causes. The Palestinian national movement, especially now that Hamas has effectively replaced the Palestine Liberation Organization as leader of “the resistance,” has become markedly religious, patriarchal, and socially reactionary. But it is also a movement fiercely opposed to American global hegemony—and that is its “anti-imperialist” appeal to Western progressives.

If you oppose American global hegemony, Trump is your candidate (as a long list of anti-American dictators have already figured out). Trump fiercely opposes the alliances and trade agreements that magnify American power and make the U.S. the center of a huge network of democratic, market-oriented countries. Trump’s “America First” bluster is actually a pathway to American isolation and weakness that will further remove American power from the world.

If you wish America ill, of course you wish Trump well. The far left and far right of U.S. politics may disagree on much, but they agree on that.

The protesters in the streets of Chicago are not acting aimlessly or randomly. The people on the receiving end of their protests would benefit from equal clarity. The protesters want chaos and even violence in order to defeat Harris and elect Trump. They are not ill-informed or excessively idealistic or sadly misled. They are not overzealous allies. They are purposeful adversaries.

The Chicago-convention delegates should recognize that truth, and act accordingly.

[partially-controlled-chaos]

Summer Spice: Day 28 Sleepy Sex

Pairing: Halsin x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit NSFW

Warnings: Kissing, mild biting, nipple teasing, dry humping, vaginal fingering, mutual orgasm, sleepy sex, semi public sex if you squint really hard.

Summary: Prompt for Summer Spice 2024. A quiet night in the Elfsong Tavern rooms leads to a few stolen kisses and a quick moment of passion while avoiding rousing your sleeping companions in the room.

Word Count: 3.1K

a/n: I stumbled across the Summer Spice 2024 prompt list from @alpaca-clouds (thank you for creating this list, by the way, the prompts are fantastic) and it immediately brought me out of my writers block. I’m a little late to this party, but that absolutely won’t stop me from writing for some of these prompts. They won’t be in order and I’ll post as I get them written, but I’m hoping to write for at least two others before the beginning of fall. They’ll all be BG3 related, maybe not all Halsin related, but considering he’s the primary one I write for I can say he’ll be a majority. 

I know I typically write for a gender neutral reader and prefer to do it that way so more people can either self insert or insert their own characters into the story more easily, for the sake of ease I decided to go with a female reader. You could read it as AFAB as well, but I did try to make it work for gender neutral. 

Read on AO3 here!

Slow, languid kisses to your shoulder gently roused you from your slumber. You stirred gently, lazily smiling at the feeling of your lovers soft lips peppering tired pecks against your skin. With a soft hum, you turned from your side, partially rolling onto your back to greet Halsin with half lidded, tired eyes. He greeted you with a kiss to your cheek, his own eyes were still heavy with sleep as he pulled you closer against his chest, your back nestling perfectly against his bare skin. You enjoyed the quiet moment, a rare event in recent times, and simply lay in Halsin’s warm embrace. You felt an arm slide beneath your head as a makeshift pillow as his free hand lazily ran along your side. 

“Good morning, my heart.” He whispered softly against your ear, keeping his voice low to avoid disturbing your companions. 

The rooms above the Elfsong Tavern were much more comfortable than the open road and a dusty bedroll, but admittedly offered much less privacy without everyone having their own tent. Thankfully, you had managed to secure a room mostly to yourself, minus one cleric and an assimar for a few nights, and could unwind each day with the relative quietness of your own room. The room was open, however, not offering much seclusion, but at least you didn’t have to worry about a bunk mate disturbing your alone time with Halsin. Although the druid had his own bunk across the room from you, you greatly preferred it when he joined you in bed for the evenings, always feeling a fluttering in your chest when you felt him slip into your bed late at night and wrap an arm around you.

“Good morning,” you replied sleepily, “are the others awake yet?” You peered over Halsin’s broad shoulder and looked around the room, finding it dark filled with various snores and other sounds of slumber. The sun had not yet crested the horizon and the room was dimly illuminated by a sliver of moonlight filtering through the stained glass of the window beside you. Your head came back down to rest along his bicep, somehow finding it much more comfortable than the feather pillow that was being quickly forgotten above your head. You intertwined your fingers with his, both hands resting against the soft sheets of your shared bed. You were both quiet, precariously balancing on the thin line that separated sleep from consciousness.

“I don’t believe so.” Halsin said after a pause, his voice thick with exhaustion, “It appears we’ve a moment all to ourselves.” A small smile tugged at the corner of your lips at the thought, your eyes feeling heavy at the gentle caress of his hands continuing their exploration of your body.

“I wish we had more.” You said quietly, your eyes closing as the final words fell from your mouth in nothing much more than a mumble. You felt his fingers slide up towards your shoulder, his finger hooking in the neckline of your tunic before tugging it down slowly. Halsin pressed another kiss to the freshly exposed skin of your shoulder while the hand that was interlocked with yours came up to rest against your chest.

“As do I,” he said as his fingers lightly tugged at the laces of your shirt, “but we can savor the ones we do find.” Despite his exhaustion and partially closed eyes, Halsin managed to unlace the front of your shirt, the neckline falling slack before he gently slipped his hand inside. You moaned ever so softly at the feeling of his hand cupping your breast, not wanting to rouse your sleeping companions and ruin the moment you’d suddenly found yourself in. Halsin stroked the delicate skin on the underside of your breast with his thumb, giving his own hum of approval as he felt your nipple begin to tighten and harden at his feather light touch.

Halsin’s opposing hand continued to travel along the expanse of your side, pulling from your shoulder to slowly trace your curves with the tips of his fingers. You felt a pleasant tingle run across your skin underneath your tunic, his gentle ministrations causing a soft warmth to begin forming in the depths of your core. You felt the whole of Halsin’s hand softly grip your hip, giving a few light squeezes to the fleshy parts of your posterior, wrinkling the cloth of your trousers with each grasp. His lips lingered against your tingling skin, pressing unhurried kisses against you as he explored your neck and jaw with his tongue. He kissed from your shoulder up to the back of your ear, lightly gazing your prickled skin with his teeth every so often.

Your tired mind was clouded at his touches and kisses, each bit of attention given to different parts of your body sent your mind into deeper into the fog. Yours hands caressed his board arm, one of the few places you could actually reach, given your position. His skin was warm beneath your touch, heating up quickly from his own excitement as well as his natural body warmth. Your lips grazed his forearm as he continued to touch and feel his way almost blindly against your body. You felt the hand that had been resting at your hip for the past moments begin to move again, this time moving to feel the plushness of your thighs. 

Halsin adored the feel of your body against his. You always slotted into his embrace perfectly when he would join you in the evenings, allowing him to pull you tightly against his body before drifting off to sleep. Although he joined you most nights, having moments of pleasure during the night had come almost to a halt since entering the city. Tensions were high, given what was at stake, and between the heat of the city and the fights that always managed to find the party, you were both often too tired to do much more than share a few lingering kisses and curl into each other during the night. So, when you both found a brief moment of silence in the night for even a handful of dirtier touches, Halsin was more than eager to pleasure you back to sleep, despite his own exhaustion. 

Halsin’s second and third fingers slid effortlessly between your thighs, pressing against your gently throbbing mound as he touched you through your clothes. You let out a quiet, shaky breath at the feeling of his wonderfully thick fingers rubbing against your sensitive bud. You squirmed as best you could in his embrace, your limbs still heavy from your rest and unable to have full range of motion while you were still on the cusp of returning to your slumber. You felt Halsin smile against your kiss-covered neck, clearly pleased with your reactions. He tweaked your hardened nipple between his forefinger and thumb, causing your body to jolt from the mattress briefly. The aged wooden frame attached to the bed beneath you creaked as you moved, filling the quiet room with the first sounds of the day. 

“You’ll wake the others if you can’t sit still, my heart.” Halsin whispered against your ear. He released your nipple briefly to press the flat of his hand against your chest, pressing your back against him in an attempt to keep you from moving and causing more noise. He return his grasp to your breasts before you could respond, silencing your voice into another hastily exhaled breath. As Halsin’s two fingers ran down the length of your slit at a steady pace, you rolled your head to the side until your forehead bumped against Halsin’s chin. He pressed a firm kiss to the center of your forehead, inhaling the scent of your hair as he continued stroking your sex through the thick fabric. 

Soft moans meant only for Halsin’s ears left your lips, barely audible as you tried to keep as quiet as possible. Your eyes remained closed as you felt Halsin’s fingers swirl against your pulsing clit, feeling yourself becoming slicker with each passing of his touch. Your hips rolled slightly, desperate to feel more friction against your lower half. His touch was firm yet teasingly slow, wanting to savor each second he had with you like this. He could feel a slight dampness starting to form along the trail he’d been following, your own excitement beginning to seep through your camp clothes. You clamped your hand over his, urging him to focusing his touch on certain spots.

“You’re impatient.” Halsin said with a light chuckle, finding excitement in your eagerness. Your thighs squeezed against his hand in an attempt to make him still his movements along your throbbing clit after you’d decided that your sleep-heavy arms were too weak against his own strength.

“We’re short on time.” You muttered softly, your voice getting lost against his skin as you pressed a kiss to the center of his throat. 

“It’s not as early as you think, love.” Your eyes opened slightly, meeting his sleep-heavy, yet playful, gaze as you realized it was the middle of the night and not the approach of dawn. He kissed your lips for the first time since waking you, smiling against yours as he enjoyed your false annoyance. But, being the giving lover that he was, Halsin obliged with your desires. 

Halsin pulled his hand from between your thighs, making you whimper softly as the loss of his touch, but remedied it quickly by slipping his hand under the waistband of your trousers. You sighed heavily against his lips, your breath entering his mouth as he mirrored his ministrations along the outer side of your small clothes. His fingers were so close to touching your bare sex, the thin fabric of your small clothes not offering much interns of protection against his fingers. Your legs parted slightly, allowing him better access to your waiting core as his fingers toyed with the slickness of your camp clothes.

Halsin groaned softly as he felt the warmth of your slick against his digits, finding just how wet you had gotten  from just a few simple touches to be more than exciting than he had anticipated. The lining of your small clothes was positively soaked, the remaining wetness had dribbled from the sides and had started to coat your inner thighs, making yourself slick with excitement. Halsin firmly pressed against the apex of your mound, listening to the small whimpers you made as he continue stroking along your slit. He felt his own arousal beginning to grow at the ease with which his fingers slid across your clothing.

You could feel Halsin’s hardened length pressed firmly against your backside, undeniably weeping against the fabric of his trousers as a result of toying with your perky nipple and swollen clit. Occasionally, Halsin’s hips would grind against yours, pressing the whole of his impressive length against the small of your back or the curve of your ass. You could hear a low growl rumble in his chest with each brief contact of his hips with yours, a signal to you that Halsin was holding back his own desires for the sake of privacy.

With every feeling and touch you were experiencing, you were grateful for your current position in the room. With Halsin’s large frame behind you and your front facing the wall, you were well shielded from any potentially prying eyes, making you feel much more comfortable in being so vulnerable around your companions. Although it was no secret that you and Halsin would have late night trysts and were undoubtedly a pair, the last thing you wanted was to be caught in the act of lovemaking. Although you had no doubts that if someone were to look in your bed space in the current moment they would be able to deduce what was happening, you were just thankful you were mostly obscured from view. You were also thankful that Halsin was mindful of your feelings. Halsin of course wasn’t shy of his feelings towards you in public, but admittedly preferred when he could spare quiet moments alone with you.

Feeling his own resolve beginning to crumble, Halsin’s fingers finally slipped underneath the fabric of your small clothes, two of which finally parted your soaked folds. Sensing the moan that was about to erupt from your lips, Halsin quickly released your now sore nipple from his grasp and pulled it from the front of your shirt. The same hand quickly clamped over your mouth, pulling your head to face him as he tried his best to stifle the sound spilling from your mouth while sliding his fingers knuckle deep into you. You felt your cheeks burn with a radiant warmth that matched the heat coming from between your thighs, your heart fluttering in your chest at the feeling of Halsin’s fingers slipping in and out of you with ease.

“Shhh, my heart,” he whispered in your ear with a certain level of husk to his voice, “quietly now.” 

With two of his digits buried in your wet folds, Halsin circled his thumb around your clit in small strokes, teasing the throbbing bud along nicely. He set a gentle pace, not wanting to make the moment end too quickly, but fast enough to stoke the fires settling within both of you. His lips continued to pepper your face with soft kisses, feeling the warmth of your cheeks beneath his lips as he kissed up towards your temple, moaning against your skin with each clench of your walls around his fingers. Once he was certain you would remain as quiet as possible for the time being, Halsin pulled his hand from your mouth and returned it inside your shirt, focusing his attention on the previously forgotten nipple. 

You bit your lip as you basked in the glow of your building orgasm, an all too familiar tingle beginning to tighten in your belly. Despite their girth, Halsin’s fingers were surprisingly nimble and agile. He knew your body well and knew just how to stroke the right spots in your heat to have you writhing and trembling beneath him. Halsin curled his fingers just each time his knuckles came into contact with your slicked lips, brushing against the well hidden spot within you that would have had your vision blur if your eyes weren’t already closed. He managed to time each thrust of his hips with each curl of his fingers, almost mimicking the feeling of his cock brushing against you.

Halsin emitted a gentle grunt with each movement of his hips, the tightness of his trousers and the contact of his throbbing length against you sent waves of pleasure through him, pushing himself closer to his peak as he worked to bring you to yours as well. You clenched tightly around Halsin’s fingers with each thrust into you, your breath becoming ragged and coming in quick pants as your orgasm approached quickly. From your position, you did your best to pleasure Halsin as well. You rolled your hips against his lap each time he trust them against you, earning you several strained and stifled moans into your neck. You could feel him throbbing against you, his cock aching for release with each connection of your bodies.

It wasn’t long before Halsin focused his attention on your throbbing, aching clit, increasing the speed in which he toyed with the bud, circling and flicking across in an attempt to bring you to release. You can’t say it didn’t work, for soon you were a writhing mess, your legs beginning to tremble as your orgasm neared, your limp limbs getting one quick burst of energy in the moments before your climax. Your hand fumbled to find Halsin’s, fingers scratching at his knuckles as you held it in place while you turned away, the pleasure coming over your body in waves as your orgasm finally hit your body forcefully. While still holding onto his hand, you rolled and buried your face into the softness of the sheets beneath you, hiding the moan that suddenly tore from your lips as you rode out your orgasm.

Missing the feeling of your backside pressed firmly against his cock, Halsin rolled with you, settling comfortably on top of you with his fingers still buried deep inside of your clenched core. With a few sporadic thrusts against your haunches, Halsin’s own orgasm hit just as yours was subsiding, the feeling of your clenching walls around his fingers and the friction against his throbbing cock had finally become too much for him to contain any longer. He pressed his body firmly against yours, his mouth finding purchase against your shoulder as he bit lightly into you, silencing his own moan from the rest of your companions. You could feel a harsh warmth followed by a slight wetness against your lower back, Halsin’s own release soaking through his trousers as the last thrashes of his orgasm finally ended. 

You both lay there quietly, pressed against each other while still trying to regain some sense of composure. Halsin left tired kisses along your shoulder where he had bitten, kissing away any harm he may have done in the process. You could feel the hot pants of his breath against your exposed shoulder along with a light layer of sweat that had formed on his forehead and he pressed it against the back of your neck. Halsin rolled himself from atop you, gently pulling his fingers from your depths and out from the inside of your trousers, fixing the waistband as he did so. 

He returned to his side as you returned to your previous position as well, straightening your clothes as best as possible before turning to face him entirely. Your nose settled in the crook of his neck, placing a few gentle kisses along his neck and collarbones as a way of thanking him for your pleasure. The hand that had serviced your nipples came to rest in your hair, slowly stroking the back of your head and sleep weighed heavily on your eyelids. Halsin kissed your lips tenderly, wrapping his arm around your hips and tugging you against him snugly. His eyes drooped as you lay there together, thoroughly pleased and seemingly undetected. 

“Thank you, my love.” You whispered groggily, suddenly overtaken by the need to rest again. Your arms and limbs became heavy once more, unable to move even if you wanted to. Halsin felt the same, the stroking from his hand coming much slower with each passing moment, his exhaustion from earlier only being intensified as he came down from the thrill of your shared orgasm. 

“Sleep well, my heart.” He said softly as your eyelids closed for the final time that night, sleep finding you quickly. Halsin nuzzled his nose against the crown of your head, your natural scent mixing with the scent of waning arousal being enough to send him into a peaceful slumber.

Tag List: @thoughts-of-bear @mothermoth92 @obuoliukai

[vaspider]

The political class barely shrugged in August when Corey Lewandowski announced he was back at former President Donald Trump's side. But when Trashelle Odom learned that Lewandowski had joined Trump's 2024 presidential campaign as a senior adviser, it was a gut punch. That's because a little over three years ago, in 2021, Odom, then the wife of a wealthy Republican donor, had reported Lewandowski to the police for allegedly assaulting and stalking her at a Las Vegas charity event. Later, she said his lawyers offered her payment to keep quiet.

...During the 2016 campaign, CCTV footage showed [Lewandowski] grabbing a journalist's arm following a press conference. Images from the video showed she had bruises on her arm.

...In 2017, a woman told police that Lewandowski slapped her behind during a holiday party at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. She objected, according to the police report, but Lewandowski ignored her disapproval and did it again.

... For her part, Odom revealed in her CBS News interview that Lewandowski's lawyers had offered her more than $30,000 to keep the episode confidential. She rejected the offer. 

(Note: One thing we are not gonna do is make fun of Odom's given name. I've heard it already. It's not cool, and we aren't gonna do that here, especially bc it would have been really easy for her to stay quiet. Do it and get blocked.)

I am shocked, just shocked, to find out that former President Sexual-Assault has a buddy he keeps rehiring who also likes to assault women.

[smehur]

HP Rec Fest 2024 Summary

This event was delightful! I didn't have a rec for every day of December, but I did for most, and a good portion of the recs were for fics that aren't on any of my previous rec lists. I wanna list them all here for ease of reference, but also because:

✨ The artwork in all the banners is my own! ✨

It's scanned watercolor or acrylic on paper, all made in the last several months, mostly while listening to podfic :D

👉The pictures link to the original rec posts. Enjoy!

Albus Potter and the Elixir of Erised by @bettsfic

After dropping out of Hogwarts, Albus moves to London and deals an addictive potion to Muggles. Now the most wanted wizard in the country, he goes into hiding at Malfoy Manor, enduring terrible withdrawal which renders him powerless in the hands of his best friend's father: Draco Malfoy, the only man willing to help him.

Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain by @faith2wood

It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that's ever so cross.

A Present by @faith2wood

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a present and kiss Harry Potter.

Draco in Darkness by plumeria47

Following an accident in his seventh year, Draco loses his eyesight. After Harry elbows his way into Draco's dark world, both boys find themselves in a strange new friendship, and they each learn new ways to see each other … and themselves.

The Sin in Your Grin (and the Shape of Your Mouth) by @xylodemon

The Order needed Sirius, but he doubted they'd mourn him very long when he finally disappeared.

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Running on Air by eleventy7

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

Alphabet Soup by @phoenixortheflame

Harry Potter, investigative reporter for the Daily Prophet, leads a perfectly adequate life. When he’s not trawling back-alleys for a juicy story, he’s playing tea party with his favourite niece or eating curry with his former house-elf. Draco Malfoy, renowned chef in muggle Paris, was perfectly content living a life of obscurity. But when his mother’s health begins to fail, he must return to wizarding London and face his past. When Harry gets an odd assignment to interview the enigmatic chef of the new muggle-wizard restaurant Le Cerf, he’s reunited with his childhood bully - and is reminded just how much a person can change in ten years. Hijinks, mystery, and food-related dirty talk ensue when Harry receives an anonymous tip of a blackmarket dragon trade and enlists Draco to be his concierge into the shady underworld of the wizarding elite.

Twilight Eternal by @hsvh-hp

Wherever Draco is, the sun sits eternally on the precipice of setting. His father feeds his peacocks on the manor grounds. Harry is the only one who can communicate with Draco. A malevolent force haunts the house, nipping at Draco’s heels. Draco intended for himself to come to this place. He only wishes he could remember why.

A Doll's Tale by @faith2wood

Harry/Draco, as observed by Draco's childhood doll. Please note, this doll is very self-absorbed.

Per my last letter (I hope you choke on it) by @fluxweeed & @lastontheboat

Dear Mr Potter, The answer is, and will remain, a no. Sincerely, Draco Malfoy Accounts Manager, Phoenix Press Or: the one where Harry has writer’s block and Malfoy isn’t helping.

Turn by Saras_Girl & podfic by Queenie_Mab

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

The Boy from the Piano Shop by @soliblomst

After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes. (Set five years after the Battle of Hogwarts)

A Dark Place in Time by Leporella

What on earth was her son thinking, falling for Harry Potter of all people, Narcissa wonders. But after the death of her husband, she finds him useful in many, and sometimes surprising, regards.

vapour by @yiiiiiiiikes25

Draco's getting cruised. Isn't he?

Probationary Action by @toomuchplor

As part of the terms of the probationary contract, DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY shall submit for inspection his WAND on the last day of every month, such inspection to be carried out by a duly registered and fully qualified AUROR in the employ of the MINISTRY OF MAGIC, and such inspection to include a PRIORI INCANTATEM spell to ensure that no PROHIBITED MAGICS as heretofore described have been practised by the aforementioned probationer.

The Illusion that One Can Get Things Right by umbrellaless22

Blindsided by Ginny's sudden departure from his life, Harry struggles to care for his family—replete with a new baby. The situation plummets from disarray to pandemonium just as Draco Malfoy arrives to drop Scorpius off for a visit, because of course it does.

Glory by @mintawasalreadytaken

Every boy at Hogwarts knew about the hole.

A Case of You by @epitomereally

Draco was doing just fine working as an Unspeakable in Paris, hanging out with his living and ghostly pals, inventing new spells, and definitely not thinking about Potter. Then, Lucius just had to break out of prison and turn his world upside down. Now, Draco has to return to England, where he is forced to confront how family ties bind us—and one infuriatingly fit Harry Potter.

with a fabulous Podfic by @cailynwrites

You can also see all my HP Rec Fest 2024 posts here. 👈

[artemiseamoon]

Kiss Me Under The Mistletoe

A Dieter Bravo x F Reader romance by Artemiseamoon

Part of @pedrostories Secret Santa 2024. This is a gift for @the-blind-assassin-12 I was soooo excited to create this for you! I hope you enjoy it as much I do. 💜

Word count: 11k plus

Summary: While celebrating Christmas Eve in New York City, you enjoy the company of close friends and learn that dreams do come true when a certain brown eyed actor crosses your path. One encounter changes the events of your lives and marks Christmas as the most special time of year.

Reader: no physical descriptions given aside from being a woman. RC intended to be in late 30’s - 40’s and has a career. Dieter does give her a nickname. Feel free to read as RC or OC, your choice.

Warnings: mentions of (light not heavy handed) drugs, recovery, sexual activity. Nothing graphic, no smut. Plus language, for cursing (if thats a warning?)

📚Read on A03⬅️

Christmas Eve, 2022

A festive spirit kissed the air as the city streets bustled with people coming and going. Locals on the move, tourists snapping photos, families on their way to relatives, and groups of friends headed to parties. 

You tightened your grip on the cake box, snowflakes melting against your skin as you hurried your walk, now just blocks away from your best friend's home. It's a scenic route; decorated storefronts, lawns, and windows adorned with trinkets and ornaments; lights strung along trees. 

As the snowfall increased, you pulled your hood over your head. In your pocket, your phone buzzed, then again, a second time. Not wanting to expose your hands, you decided to wait to answer. You wondered if it was an update about the weather. 

A blizzard warning was in effect for two days from now. You hoped to be back home and cozy by then, but by the look of things, you just might get stuck here for the duration. Not that it was a bad thing, you had friends here and were staying in your bestie's spare bedroom. 

Back inside the brownstone, you shook snow off your boots, set the box down on a bench and checked your phone. The wind kicked up outside, it's howl touching the doors before you. 

Parker: I hope people come! It’s coming down hard out there :(

Parker: You ok? Not stuck in a snowbank, right? And THANK YOU for volunteering. You're a life safer! Remind me to not attempt cake making again. 

Earlier, Parker tried their hand at baking. What came out of the over was - well - edible but not pretty. Parker's yearly Christmas party was a hit and each time they had a cake from their favorite bakery. This year, they got a bit crazy with the whole DIY thing and this happened. Once the cake emergency ensued, they found one place nearby with one cake left. You volunteered to pick it up.  

You: Tonight will be amazing; I have a good feeling. And yes, I returned safely. Be up in a sec.

.

An hour later the house was packed, on the lower-level people danced, ate, and lost themselves in conversation, both deep and light. Laughter could be heard in bursts over the music from the speakers. On the second level, a game room was set up with an area for crafts. People lingered in the halls, conversing and some dancing. The third floor was closed off as far as the party went. The brownstone was busting with life, the continuous snowfall outside didn’t detract from the jovial mood. 

“Karaoke!” Parker yelled into the room. They turned to you, “You know what this means. We need Stevie to start us off." 

“We must summon Stevie.” One of your friends said while handing you their velvet scarf.  

“Okay - I need to get in character.”

Scarf in hand, you excused yourself from the room. When you returned, you were in full character, wide-brimmed hat, extra necklaces, and a dark blanket wrapped around like a skirt. Your friends cheered as you took your place in the center of the room. Parker passed you the microphone and pressed play.

'Rock on, gold dust woman

Take your silver spoon, dig

Your grave'

As you perform, you do your famous Stevie Nicks impression, belting out the lyrics as you move across the room. You wouldn't say your voice was greatest, but you put on a damn good show. 

As the middle of the song neared, your eyes floated to the back of the room. A group of people crowded into the living room, filling in any empty spots. You were about to turn away when something told you to keep looking. At the very back of the group a man stood out, his head was lowered and all you could see was messy brown curls. As he lifted his head, everything slowed down and you missed a line.  

You'd know that face from anywhere! 

That hair

That nose

Those brown eyes

And when he smiled, you heart skipped a beat. You were either hallucinating, or Dieter Bravo had one hell of a lookalike! 

You continued on with the song, trying to convince yourself that once the performance was over, you'll realize this dude didn't look like Dieter at all. 

What would he be doing at a random house anyway?

By the song's end, your heart was in your throat. The man still looked a hell of a lot like Dieter, and now you were convinced you slipped into some kind of dream state. Handing the mic to the next person, you grabbed Parker by the hand and rushed to the kitchen. 

“Is that Dieter fucking Bravo in your house?” you asked while grabbing their shoulders. 

Parker shook their head, looking as surprised as you. "Unless all of us are having some mass hallucinations then um - yeah, I think- unless he has a twin brother." 

"He does not, he's an only child," you opened the door to take a peek, and catch a glimpse of some people looking up his photo and talking. You dip back into the kitchen. Getting antsy, you start walking around, your mind recalling the moment your eyes met across the room. "No, no that is him, the real him." 

You would know. You’ve studied and dreamed about that man more times than you’re willing to admit. You have an insane number of photos, videos, and gifs of him all saved in an album titled ‘Dieter my love’. The handsome, adorable, trash panda of a famous actor ruined your life- well, not ruined, but to say you were obsessed would be fair.

Well, not obsessed but- 

Okay, he took over your brain, your thoughts, your heart. 

Parker shrugged, “I don’t - did he just- wander in here?” 

Before either of you could muse further, Parker’s girlfriend entered the room. She was stuck doing the afternoon shift at the bar she worked at, and the evening person was late, hence her late arrival. 

“So, um - that's Dieter Bravo.” 

“And how is he here?” Parker asked. 

“This sounds crazy but - he stopped in the bar, ten minutes before I left. We got to talking and I kinda - invited him.” Jett replied. 

You moved closer, trying to digest her words. “You just casually met and invited Dieter Bravo to a party?”

“Yeah. I was already late, why not bring one hell of a gift for our favorite person!" She took your hand. 

While staring at her, you pinched yourself with your free hand. Yep, real, this was very real. Seconds later, you pulled her into a hug. Behind you, the door swung open. 

“Hi,” Dieter waved at the three of you. “Hope you don’t mind, crashing your party and all." he said to Parker. 

You assumed Jett told him who's who already. 

“As long as you have fun and don’t steal all the thunder.” Parker replied, then shared a glance with Jett. “We have to - get something.” They grabbed Jett's hand and left the kitchen. 

The door swung closed again, leaving you and Dieter alone. Not knowing what else to do, you froze. 

He's so - soft-looking. He was dressed comfortably, dark loose pants and a fuzzy sweater. He even appeared a bit tired, but in a hot cuddly kind of way. 

“And you must be Calliope herself,” he smiled. 

“Greek muse of song and poetry, nice -” you leaned against the counter behind you, mainly for balance as your legs turned to Jello. 

“I know you are," he said your name, " Jett gave me the quick rundown, the most important people at least.” 

A giddy feeling washed over you, your name on his lips echoing in your mind. “Glad I’m one of the important ones. So, you make this a habit, crashing house parties?"

“Sometimes,” he jested, “no - actually, Jett's really cool, and getting a drink alone was fucking depression so -" he moved to the snack stray, but kept his eyes mostly on you, “here I am.” 

“Hard to believe you were alone today, being so famous and all.” 

“I didn’t want anyone around -" he started to snack, “then, I changed my mind.” 

“Hence the drink?” 

He winked at you. With a plate of snacks, Dieter moved closer, mirroring your body language against the counter. 

A brief silence fell between you, and your mind was firing off in a million directions. All of a sudden, you lose the ability to conversate again. So, you just look at him as he looks at you, taking the moment in, letting yourself be star stuck. 

Done with the snacks, Dieter put the plate down then rolled up his sleeves, revealing his assorted bracelets. Your gaze lingered there; you loved his arms, and his hands. Your gaze dropped to his fingers, then his rings.  

When his eyes met yours again, you went with the first thing on your mind. 

“Are you in New York for work?” 

“No. I took the time off. I don’t like to work during the holidays - no Hollywood stuff.” 

You faced him directly, instead of just stealing side glances. “What's your ideal way to spend Christmas?” 

Dieter grinned at the question. “Sleeping in. Pancakes for breakfast…movie marathon, you know, the classics -” he ran his hand through his hair, “in pajamas all day.” 

"You already wear pajamas all the time." 

He laughed at your comment. "These are the outside pajamas - not the pajamas-pajamas." 

"Ah, got it." 

His next smile was sheepish as he glanced at the floor, looking suddenly vulnerable, “with someone - or alone.”

You frowned a little, all of you wanting to hug him. 

“Dieter, I hope you get your dream Christmas this year.”

“Yeah, we’ll see -" his tone wasn't so convincing. He stared off for a second, then looked at you. “What’s your perfect Christmas day?” 

Your heart was beating so fast now you could hear it drum in your ears. He was so present with you, you almost felt exposed, naked under his gaze-

“As cozy and warm as possible. My mind is on a lot, for work. So just unplugging and having a nice day, that’s good enough for me.” 

Dieter listened with a spark in his eyes. Just as he was about to ask a question, you gained some company. A group of three people you didn’t know well entered; one already had their phone out. 

“Could we get a picture? If you don’t want to - "

“I’m in the middle of a very interesting conversation,” he gestured to you. 

Your smile returned. He wasn’t necessarily rude about it, but he was clear. And they got the point as they left the kitchen. His attention was instantly on you again, his gaze full of interest as he studied you.

Is this what it feels like, to be a work of art in a museum, under appreciative eyes?

He started, “I hate this question, so - forgive me for asking but-” 

“Astronomer by day, writer by night” you replied. 

Depending on the person, you only replied ‘astronomer’, but if you liked the person, you didn’t mind revealing a little more about the writing part. Then there was the whole pen name thing as your non-work-related writing was on the saucier side. Constellations and planets by day. Sex pollen by night. 

Dieter dipped his head, keeping his eyes on you, “seriously?”  

“Seriously.”

He inched closer. “What do you write?” 

“A little of everything. Mainly fiction.”

“Anything published?” 

“One, last year I wrote this book, like a merge of my two words. It’s a retelling of the myths of the constellations. My second book, that's - coming along - it's a sci-fi thing.” 

Dieter’s eyes lit up. He placed a hand on your shoulder, your name on his lips. 

“Yeah?” You chuckled, not sure what to make of the way he was staring at you, all while trying to play it as cool as fucking possible because inside, you are anything but chill. 

“You are the coolest fucking person here - ever!” Dieter raved.

You chuckled, “stop. You're the Oscar-winning movie star. I’m just…me. A girl who was so obsessed with the stars she made a career out of it. Who likes to write spicy sci-fi too.” 

Dieter got a little closer, and as he moved his hand back to rest it on the counter, he almost knocked some things over. He quickly fixed them, then made eye contact. 

“Astronomer? Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know how smart you have to be for that?" He counted on his fingers, "Published author. Karaoke star and fucking gorgeous.” 

Your breath stilled, heart beating faster as he gushed about you! By some weird miracle you were holding your shit together while internally kicking and screaming. Here he was your celebrity crush - complimenting you.

"Thank you,” nervousness fluttered in your gut. You shook your head and laughed, “I’m not gonna lie. I’m a huge fan of yours and kinda freaking out right now.” 

Dieter smiled. 

Fuck, he thought.  You were making his heart race; he had those silly butterfly things talking to you - and he was nervous - nervous. He rarely got nervous. Knowing you both were trying to keep your cool was comforting. 

You revealed your shaking hands, which you were keeping buried in your pocket for a reason. “See? Not keeping it cool at all.” 

Dieter extended his arm, “check my pulse.” 

His heart rate was through the roof. This was unreal. He hummed softly at your touch, your fingers so soft against his skin. And when you moved your hand, he instantly missed the contact. 

“How about we calm our nerves, yeah? I heard there’s a game room upstairs,” Dieter suggested. 

“Follow me,” you pushed yourself forward and headed to the door.

The inner you was screaming even louder now. You didn't know if you'd freeze again or find your flow, but it was worth it to find out. Plus, even if it was a little selfish, you were glad to steal him away before he gets overloaded with picture requests. 

.

Half an hour later, you and Dieter remained in your cozy corner of the game room. Jenga was the current game of choice as you navigated all the interest he was drawing. You talked about music and art. You imagined meeting him before, but as great as your imagination is, anything you dreamed up didn't compare to this. 

After Cliff Beasts 6 in 2020, his reputation was a roller-coaster - dipping and rising - calming and amping up - which seemed to be the norm for him. By time the documentary came out earlier this year, he appeared to be in control again. 

"I had to get my shit together, " he shared with you, "clear my mind. Find my center. There was this great place Anika recommended." 

"Are you two still close?" You asked, carefully pulling a block from the tower. 

"She's so cool - we're good friends." 

You learned the romance was short lived, but they gained life-long friends out of it, and she was super supportive of his recovery journey. You remembered when he came back from the center, he looked great, refreshed and healthy. Sadly, it didn't stop the tabloids from talking shit and retelling his greatest 'party' hits. 

As you and Dieter talked, getting to know more about each other while topic hopping to random things, your excitement for what could happen tonight grew. You knew his reputation, and the risks. But a chance with your celebrity crush was something most people didn't get - and you weren't going to let this pass you by. 

Fifteen minutes later you were back to talking about music and live shows, while deep in a game of twister. Prior to the game, Parker and Jett lured most of the people away, almost giving you the room alone.  

“Want to do a song - or songs - with me?” Dieter asked from beneath you. 

“Hell yes - how about something from the 90s?" 

“Fuck yes! Pop? Alternative?” 

You tried to reach for the spinner, “why not both?"

“We should do a Christmas song too!”

“Sure. A fun one though! How about a super sexy Santa baby - oh fuck -” 

Your leg slipped from beneath you, causing you to crash into Dieter. Bot of you hit the ground and burst into laughter. 

“Have you ever heard the Eartha Kitt version?” you asked, rolling off of Dieter. 

He laid on his side, doe-eyed and smiling “Obviously. It’s one of the best.  Wait - Can we do Baby it’s cold outside too?”

"It’s a date. Plus, people can snap all those pictures they’ve been asking for.”

Dieter smiled as he took you in. “I don’t care about any of that, this- I like this.” 

.

After doing three fun and naughty songs with Dieter, your friends pulled you away to get the tea. Everything sounded crazy as it left your lips, but it was true, the vibes were vibing and hanging out with him felt so easy - so natural. 

Once you were done speaking with your friends, you found Dieter downstairs with a group around him. He seemed to be having a decent time, yet as soon as he saw you, he lit up and then made his way over to you. 

“We killed it up there.” He commented, then offered you the rest of his cake. 

“Don’t tempt me. I’ve already had one and a half."

"This is my second, I had to race someone to it." he said as he took another bite.

"To be fair, I was the one who went out to get it. Snow and all.” 

“You did! Look, this cake is divine, if this cake wasn’t here, I might have left.” 

You laughed, “and what about me?” 

“You or the cake? Oh, I’m choosing the cake.” 

“Wow,” you pretended to be offended then glanced out the window. Everything was covered in inches of snow. Before you can turn around, you feel Dieter over your shoulder. 

“Seriously though, if it's you or the cake, fuck that cake.” 

“Right answer."

“You’re fucking amazing, you know that?” 

Maybe, just maybe fairytales were real - even if for one night. You playfully tugged at his sweater while grinning, “careful, keep complimenting me like that and I'll have to kiss you under the mistletoe.” 

A playful smile touched his lips. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” you nod. 

Before you could take a full breath, Dieter was leading you through the crowded room, down the hallway, and to the side room turned photo op. You worked hard this morning getting this space just right, but never imagined you'd be in it with Dieter of all people. In the corner a couple was making out, in another people were using the portable photo booth station.

Dieter only stopped moving once you were under the mistletoe. 

His gaze fell to your lips before rising to your eyes, “I’ve been dying to kiss you all night." 

You gave a cheeky reply, “well, I’m right here,”

Dieter slid one arm around you, pulling you closer while brushing your chin with his fingers: his bedroom eyes further igniting the fire within you. 

“You really are wonderful, you know that?” said Dieter with a soft breath. 

Before you could respond, Dieter closed the space between you, pressing his lips to yours. His lips were soft against your own, and the tenderness with which he kissed you made your heart race. As the kiss deepened, you slid your fingers up the nape of his neck and into his hair. Dieter responded with a low moan against your lips.

“You taste as good as you look,” he moaned. 

“The feeling is mutual.” 

“Let's do more of that, a lot more.” 

This time you drew him in by his shoulders, initiating the second kiss. Easily you lose yourself in his embrace. His lips were sweet, like the cake he’d eaten minutes before, the same cake you walked five blocks in snow to get. How the fuck is this real, you thought. You would have never imagined while you held that cake for dear life that you'd be tasting it on Dieter's kiss. 

“Spend tonight with me?” Dieter asked as he drew in a breath.

You parted your lips to speak, nothing came out. The full shock of everything that just happened hitting you all at once. 

Dieter waited for your answer, hoping you’d say yes. Sex with you would be amazing, it would greatly improve what's been a depressing and lonely week in New York. You're the stuff of dreams, and so damn beautiful he might just pick up a brush and paint again.

All that talk about muses, yeah, he really understood it now. Just a couple of hours with you had his mind thinking up all kinds of things. He imagined taking you to this vacation villa, a soft breeze coming in off the water as you posed for him; Dieter capturing your essence with each stroke of the brush against canvas. And when he wasn't painting, you two could spend long afternoons and lazy mornings in bed. 

His mind went back to sex, it would be spectacular, he knew it. He was also content to just hang out with you all night until you’ve both fallen asleep. You're that fucking cool and he just wanted more time, no matter how you spent it. He knew his reputation, and as you still hadn’t answered, he feared that was why. 

“Dieter I-” 

Dieter leaned in, hanging on your every word. 

“I’d love that.” 

“Yes!” Dieter did a fist pump, then wrapped his arms around you again. “I can’t promise we’ll get a cab at this point - we might have to walk.” 

You trailed his jawline with your nails, “I’ve got my snow boots.” 

“Wow,” he held you at a distance to take you in, “we’re leaving. Now.” With your hand in his, Dieter made his way to the door. 

“I need my coat and my boots silly,” you laughed, “give me five minutes. “

.

About 30 minutes later, and with no cabs in sight, you made it to his hotel room. By car ride, he was just 15 minutes away, but on foot, plus all the snow, it was twice as long. You made the best of it along the way, stopping to make snowmen and angels, even having a brief snowball fight. 

Inside, the room was warm and toasty. Dieter made you a cup of tea as he called the desk to extend his stay. Instead of checking out in the morning, he gave it one more day. The snow continued to fall dramatically outside.

As he finished up the call, you contemplated taking a hot shower, then changing. You did take an overnight bag for tonight, and the dry jammies were calling your name. Deciding a shower would help with the chill in your bones, you suggested the idea to Dieter, he was happy to oblige. Once you were out, you made yourself comfortable as he did the same. 

A half-hour later, you were cuddled up on the couch, under blankets as you talked about everything and nothing. Dieter got up briefly then returned with something in his hand, 

“KitKat?” 

You smiled; he really loved these things as much as you heard. 

“I have a whole bunch in the fridge. Have as many as you want, but not the last one.” 

“I promise to not eat your last kit, Kat Dieter,”

“There’s something about it chilled; it's gotta be chilled,” he leaned back with a sigh, then rolled to his side. “Can I tell you something?” 

“Sure,” you said, snapping one of the bars off. 

“I was having a really shitty day, week...month,” he shrugged, “I thought I wanted to be alone for the holiday, then realized I didn't. Then I went on Tinder and that shit was depressing." 

“I bet you had a line around the block of people waiting for the honor.” 

“Since I cleaned up - there are certain crowds I don't hang around anymore, it's bad for my aura and shit. I keep it simple now - pot, wine, the occasional drink and I love shrooms too much to give them up. Don't ever ask me to give those up. The harder stuff, though, I haven't touched in months.” 

“That's a big deal, Dieter, congratulations.” 

He nuzzled his head against the pillow while gazing at you. “Have I told you how beautiful you are.” 

“Yes, and you can keep on if you want,” 

“I will, all night, and tomorrow too.”

You sat up, covering your face with your hands before lowering them again.  “Dieter, this is nuts. You're my biggest crush ever and here we are!"

“Fuck, I know right, I can’t believe it either,” he pressed his forehead to yours while looking into your eyes, “I think we met before, in another universe.” 

“Or - another life.” 

“Or both.” 

“Okay, both. I like that.” you ran your hands down his chest with a soft hum, “you are as cuddly as I imagined.” 

“Lucky for you I need more cuddles, come here!” Dieter drew you back into his arms. 

. 

'Blizzard warning in effect for New York State Tri-Area - all flights have been temporarily suspended due to inclement weather, please contact your air carrier for further details - travel on the roads is not advised -'  

“Breakfast is here,” Dieter called out from the hall. 

You were parked in front of the TV, watching the news feed. The blizzard did not wait for two days from now as first reported, it hit late last night, around 3 am, You wouldn’t have known it, you and Dieter were too busy exploring each other's bodies until you were exhausted, then fell asleep cuddling; he was your little spoon. 

When you woke up around ten am, secure in his arms, his body pressed against yours and his excitement evident, you turned to kiss him, leading to a lazy sensual morning in bed. Now it was around noon, and you were both so hungry you were getting a little grumpy, so Dieter ordered room service. You also took the time to answer the many texts from your concerned friends to confirm that you were indeed fine, in a land of bliss actually and that was all you could say for now. 

The aromas of cinnamon, spice, coffee, and freshly baked goods met your nose, making your stomach grumble. You clicked off the TV and joined him in the kitchen. 

“I’ve extended my stay, two more days but I have to leave by Thursday morning, a work thing.” he pulled out a chair for you to sit on, then kissed you on the lips, “Merry Christmas.” 

In the back of your mind, you remind yourself to change your flight as well. From the looks of it outside, there is no way you are flying out tomorrow. 

 You dug something out of your pocket, “yesterday morning, I gave all my friends their presents and I had an extra one. At first, I thought it was a miscount but now - “you passed him the pouch, smiling proudly. "“Merry Christmas, Dieter."

Dieter moved his chair closer to yours then opened it up revealing a hemp bracelet with round stone beads. 

“It's a grounding and protection mix, that's shungite, red jasper, and smoky quartz...some tourmaline too.” 

“What have I done to deserve you,” he gushed, then quickly slipped the bracelet on his wrist. "Thank you.” 

“My pleasure.” you watched him a moment longer, then decided to eat, your stomach was growling at you. 

“You know shungite is used to block EMF radiation, that shit fucks with your brain waves. Messes you up. I have a piece on my phone case.” 

Smiling, you dig your phone out of your pocket and flip it over.

“No fucking way - “he picked it up, amazed. “You’re perfect, literally, perfect. Do you know a lot about stones? I have this room in my house - all crystals, some giant fucking ones too. I don’t know what they all mean - a friend gave me a book, but I never read it. I have an idea! What if you came? I could show you the room and you can tell me what they are. I have a telescope too, a really good one - I think you'd like it.” 

“Is this your way of asking me to visit?” you tease while tugging at his shirt. 

“Yes, of course! You must visit - you have to.” 

“Then of course I will - was that your stomach?” 

“Yes. It demands food.” 

You took the lids off the plates and handed him a fork. “Let’s eat.” 

.

Dieter shook his head while speaking with his hands. “No - that shit calcifies the pineal gland. Stay away from those -” 

You’ve been deep in conversation now for about two hours. Dieter was lying on his back while you laid on his chest, the both of you still naked from your previous activities.

It was beautiful, the both of you in your own little world as the snow fell heavily outside. You’ve juggled so many topics of conversation it was a little hard to keep track, but you were going with the flow and loving every second of it. Dieter's a wild, unpredictable, cozy ride and you’ve never been more thankful for a snowstorm in your life. 

“How do you feel about New Year's resolutions?” You asked, not sure why you did. 

He shook his head. “I don’t do that.” 

“Yeah, I used to when I was younger, but not anymore...have you ever had your birth chart done?” You could admit you've looked it up before, or at least the speculated chart, but don't. 

“Of course, show me yours and I’ll show you mine?” Dieter already had his phone out for you to view. 

.

2023

Being snowed in with Dieter weeks ago was a dream, one that kept you warm and fuzzy during the winter and through the month of January. As it neared its midway point, you weren't sure what you and Diter were. One night stand? Friends with benefits to be? When you parted ways post storm, nothing was defined. You knew there was a possibility, you’d never hear from him again, but to your surprise, he texted you just days later.

Even though his communication was sporadic at times, he did reach out. Now you had numerous texts, phone calls, and video calls between you as January neared its end. Plans remained undefined as far as a visit to LA, but you understood how crazy his schedule was so didn’t push. Plus, everything was so fresh, and you wanted the real invite to come naturally without any pressure. 

You were smitten as all hell and falling, hard. All while trying to keep a sensible mind about it. The 'what are we?' questions following you around like a phantom. It didn't help that he wore your bracelet - all the time! You even spotted it in a recent interview. Was it delusional to think that maybe- just maybe - 

Then there was the press, the beast, the greedy machine and all the speculation about Dieter and his sex life. Every week it seemed a new person he was rumored to be with, or some crazy drug crazed party people claimed he was at. The rumors of relapse were the most upsetting, especially because you knew he was working his ass off to keep it together. 

.

It wasn't uncommon to have a few days when you didn't hear from him, he was a busy guy after all. Some days he just sent some emojis until he could talk again. You were having one of those weeks, left with memories and emojis until the real thing came. You spent your

time working on your new book and at the planetarium. It was at the end of a very long shift when you heard from him again. 

First came the text with a link to an upcoming concert on January 30th. The headliner was one of yours and Dieter's favorite 90’s alternative bands. 

Dieter: Meet me in New York. I owe you a date. 

You: It’s true…I don’t know if the snow days counted as a date.

Dieter: Dinner, anywhere you want, then the show. VIP seats. Then I plan to spend the night between your thighs.  

You: You better :) Let's do this.  

In two days, it would be the last day of the year, and you couldn't wait for the reunion. 

.

The concert at Madison Square Garden was amazing. After the show, you ended up in Dieter's hotel room, already making out as he swiped the key card. 

“I have to leave really fucking early. International flights man -” he said between kisses. 

You weaved your fingers through his hair, "we better make the best of our time then.” 

Dieter woke up before sunrise, and though you didn't know it, he spent some time watching you sleep. The last thing he wanted was to disturb you, but he knew you’d be upset if he left without saying goodbye. 

Using gentle kisses along your neck and chin, Dieter whispered against your skin, “baby, I have to leave.” 

You didn’t wake right away; it took a minute or two until your eyes opened. A smile formed on your lips; Dieter's definitely your favorite sight in the morning. 

“It’s time already?” you yawned.

“Sadly, yes-” he buried his face beneath your chin, taking in your scent, “fuck it, I’ll cancel my flight.” 

“This is important, I can’t let you do that - you wanted this meeting for how long?” 

“A long time -"

Dieter had a script idea, and a director in mind. He explained the character as a cowboy secret agent, a role he always wanted to play. This trip, the first part at least, was about making that happen. 

“We’ll just have to see each other next time you're free,” you pouted.

Last night added up to four nights total with Dieter, but still, you were drunk on him. He was already weaving his way into your heart in such a short amount of time. 

Dieter balanced himself on his elbows as he studied you, “visit me.” 

“You know I would,” you replied.

“I’m serious.” 

“So am I.” 

As he smiled, you poked his dimple. 

“I get back from Europe late at night, February 13th.” He turned and rummaged around the desk in the dark. Once enough things fell over, you turned on one of the lights on while laughing. 

“Thanks,” he flashed a smile at you then sat up and turned away. 

“What are you hiding?” 

“Can you do it, a flight the morning of the 14th?” 

“I think I can swing that.” That was in 13 days from now, you could use your PTO, “yeah, let’s do it.” 

Dieter finally turned to you, presenting a sticky note with a heart drawn on it and text in the middle,

“Be my Valentine?” 

He was the cutest you’ve ever seen him; messy hair, big brown puppy dog eyes, it was heartwarming. “Of course, I’ll be your Valentine.” 

“It’s settled then; I’ll buy your ticket.” he sighed deeply while pulling you into a hug. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you too.” 

His next alarm went off, he groaned and snoozed it. 

“You’re going to be late -"

“I’ll make it, but we need to be fast. No way I’m leaving here without one more taste of you - “ he tore the covers away and moved between your legs. 

“If you miss that flight don’t blame me,” you tugged at the waistband of his pants. 

“If I miss it, I get to stay here, fucking you all day. I call that a win.” 

“Well, if you put it that way-” grabbing a fist full of his shirt, you pulled him down into a kiss. “Then we’ll get you on a later flight because this is important, and I won't let you bail on it.” 

“How did I get so damn lucky?” he smiled warmly then started to undress you. 

.

As the car pulled up to the gates, you couldn’t believe you were really there. Dieter Bravo's house. After a brief drive, you arrived at the front door, finding him waiting for you.

He looked adorable, his hair, pajamas and signature green robe plus his furry boots. His face lit up as he saw you. Dieter quickly took his sunglasses off, hung them on his shirt, and went to greet you.

“Sweetheart, it’s good to see you,” 

You're in his arms in an instant, his hug warm and secure. 

“How was your flight?” 

“First class direct with all the perks. I can’t complain.” 

“Good," he took a step back holding your arms as he took you in, “you look great.”

“I’m in tights and a hoodie “

“You look great,” he repeated, his gaze soft on yours. 

Dieter slid one hand down your arm while raising the other to your chin, admiring you further before kissing you. The kiss transports you back to Christmas Eve, under the mistletoe. 

“I’m glad you could make it Cosmo. Come, there's so much I want to show you.” 

You’re not sure what you expected his house to look like, but now that you’re here, it seems fitting. Posters of all kinds, movies, concerts, art prints. Paintings large and small, interesting pieces of furniture sprinkled in with the basics, more than a few bean bags and lava lamps.

“Happy Valentines Day!" he beamed. 

“Happy Valentines.” you replied, interlacing your fingers with his as he walks you through the house. 

As the tour went on, Dieter couldn't believe his luck. He missed you like hell and finally you were here. He was beyond smitten, he was hooked, whipped. You, the most perfect woman ever, possessed him, he thought of you day and night, thoughts both pure and unholy. He even took one of your bras after the snowstorm in NY and kept it.

He also kept the note you wrote after your snowed-in adventure. Dieter didn’t see you write it, but at the airport, he reached in his pocket and found it, rolled up like a scroll, a makeshift ribbon around it, 

Lovely being snowed in with you , Xo Cosmo 

You even left a lipstick stain on the back, and he handled the note so carefully, worried he’d tear it. He liked that the nickname grew on you, at first, he wasn’t sure if you’d like it. He kept it in his pocket all the time, just like he always wore your bracelet. 

.

You busied yourself in the living room as Dieter took some calls. It was a short while later he returned with a woman trailing behind him. She was carrying a portfolio, notebook, and a tablet all under one arm: definitely an assistant. Currently, she was texting, typing faster than you’ve ever seen anyone type. 

“There she is - “His expression lighted at the sight of you. Standing at the back of the couch, he leaned over to kiss you. “I have this thing tomorrow evening. Couldn’t get out of it. But -” he rounded the couch and sat next to you, “my attention is all yours before and after.” he held his hands together apologetically. 

You took his hands in yours. “Dieter, it’s okay.” 

“No, it’s not - I said we’d have four days together, undisturbed and -" he took a deep breath, then glanced at his assistant, “what if I show up for the post-viewing part?” 

With her eyes still downcast, she replied, “You need to be there by 7. Red carpet, photo ops, all the norms. The viewing starts at 8-”

He scratched his beard, “no, that's too early. How about 7:30? 7:45?” 

His assistant glanced up with a pinched expression. “Mr. Bravo, you know the drill.” 

He waved his hand, “I hate all that shit; besides I have company,” he kissed your hand.

“Be there at 7, get all the stuff out of the way and I’ll tell them you had business after so can’t do the Q&A?” 

“See! She’s the best - the best - “he jumped up and gave her a hug. “Wait, proper introductions.” 

Dieter proceeded to introduce you two, and you learned her name, Colleen. 

“Anything else before I go?” Colleen asked.

Dieter stretched out over your legs like a big cat. “Wait, they’ll have the Kit Kats, right? Last time, they forgot the Kit Kats-” 

“They will have the Kit Kats-”

"Are you sure? Will they be chilled?” 

“Yes, Mr. Bravo.” 

“Good -" he ran his fingers through his hair while nodding, then chuckled as you scratched his tummy. 

“Any other request?” 

You could tell she asked because she had to. Her stress level seemed high, but you could imagine why. As smitten as you were over Dieter, you would not want to be his personal assistant. 

“No - wait! “His eyes widened as he sat up, “a mascot! I need a mascot.”

“A mascot?” 

You even crooked a brow at him while biting back a laugh. 

“Yeah. Like they have in games but a big kit Kat.” he used his hands to demonstrate as he spoke. 

“Umm - I don’t know if -”

“If they want me there early, I need a mascot. I'll even do that stupid Instagram thing - only if I have the mascot.” 

“Um - yeah, a Kit Kat mascot…” Colleen jotted it down in her phone, “I will see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Colleen. Now I'd like to get back to my lady.” 

My lady, your heart fluttered at the words. 

“Nice to meet you, “she said your name, “bye Mr. Bravo.” 

“Dieter! Mr. Bravo sound so -”

She was already gone and out the door before he could finish. You scratched his tummy again with a smile, 

“You are so weird. A KitKat mascot?” 

“You like me anyway.” 

“I do.”

.

The premiere the next night went well. You got all dressed up and walked the carpet with Dieter, though it was a short walk. You waited off to the side for the rest as he took his solo shots and signed autographs. Even when you weren't at his side, he kept looking back at you and it made you feel close. 

Once all the necessary stuff was over, he changed into more comfortable clothes, you even got a few funny pictures with him and the Kit Kat mascot. Its appearance was confusing yet entertaining. It didn’t stay the whole time, just for the first hour. The mascot was waiting for you when you arrived at Dieter's dressing room. It was a compromise the theatre made to not distract from the event but fulfill Dieter's request. Dieter even paid the guy $200 bucks to keep the costume, which the guy agreed to. 

Afterward, you headed back to Sherman Oaks. For the last thirty minutes, you've been in Dieter's backyard lying on the trampoline. You’ve talked about your favorite stars and constellations and taught him some ones he didn't know but often saw in the sky. 

Dieter rolled on his side to look at you, “do you believe in Aliens?” 

“Of course.” 

“Me too. Think they're watching us right now?” 

“They could be.”

“We could give them a show?” 

“You are naughty, “you laughed, “how about you put on that Kit Kat costume, and I’ll get an alien one-”

“Ooh,” he sat up, “weird - but I like it -”

“I was just joking, you know.” 

“Nope,” he laid on top of you, “it's too late now. We have to do it.” 

.

24 hours later you were home and still buzzing from your visit. 

You didn’t have to wait long to hear from him either, he checked in to make sure you boarded and then landed safely. And later that night, he sent you a text once he got home from a busy day. 

Dieter: Looking at the stars, I am a little high, it was a stressful day okay... and thinking about you, that's the important part. See you soon Cosmo. 

Now Spring was here. 

You’ve been busy, busier than usual. With your new book finished you were officially in the time-consuming editing process. Plus, things amped up at work and you had a full plate. Dieter was busy too, as he was starting work on a new project. Your schedules meant it would be some time until you saw each other again and would have to rely on phone calls and texts in the meantime. 

As you reached the middle of May, you were missing him badly, but thankfully didn’t have to wait long. You were in the middle of some work when the text came.

Dieter: I can only stay for 2 days. NEEEEEED to see you.  

He arrived three days later. You were just out of the shower when he rang your bell. You unlocked the door, told him to come in then quickly pulled some clothes. He greeted you with a big kiss, then dramatically walked into the kitchen.

“Dieter you, okay?” 

He collapsed on the counter, hiding his face. “Don’t be mad.” 

“Okay - that is never a good way to start a sentence."

“It was awful, the worst ever -"

“Now you’re freaking me out."

He stripped off his jacket, threw it on the floor then held out his arm.

“Um?"

“The bracelet. It’s dead!” 

You burst into laughter. 

“No, no you don't understand, this is a very serious matter! I was wearing it - just getting my morning coffee and putting my headphones in - wired only and it just fucking - it went everywhere!" he was using sound effects now," worst day of my life. - Hey, I'm serious.” 

“I know I know and you're very cute." you caressed his face, fingers in his hair, “did you follow my care instructions?"

“Yes,” he said while shaking his head no. “I could have taken better care of it.” 

“These things happen, I can make you a new one.”

“No! I want the old one - the old one is special; it's the night we met.” 

“Managed to salvage any of it?” 

“Every-single -bead.” he dug a small bag out of his pocket. “I hope.” 

“Baby, it's okay, really, I'll use this to make you a new one, a Dieter-proof one.” 

.

While Dieter was out running errands the next day, you busied yourself with setting the mood for dinner. By the time you were done, candles decorated the table adding ambiance, and music played on the record player. 

He sent you an update text, letting you know he was running a little late on his return trip. Keeping the food warm, you took a seat and scrolled on your phone. A few funny and cute videos would pass the short wait. After a couple of entertaining videos, you came across one with Dieter’s face in the background, and a woman in the foreground speaking, 

“Dieter Bravo and co-star Scarlet Rose getting cozy on set -”

A knot formed in your gut, you quickly hit pause to shut her up. No, don’t look. It’s bullshit. Gossip. But the reminders don’t work, and you find yourself recalling that you and he never really had 'the talk'.  For you, even without a title, Dieter was your world, and you just kind of figured it was the same for him, now you wondered, if it wasn't. 

“Shit-” you press play on the video. The picture changes to one of Dieter and Scarlet looking really cozy.

"I don’t know about you, but they look really friendly to me."

You told yourself to stop but can't and then the last picture popped up. You studied it closely. At first glance, just two people speaking closely but the longer you looked-

“No, don’t fall for it. They’re just talking, and she stands too close to everyone.” You told yourself as you put your phone away. 

Even as Dieter walked through the door minutes later, your mood remained tainted. You smiled, dined, and even danced a little post-dinner but the entire time you were spiraling inside. 

When it came time for the dishes, Dieter volunteered to do them with you. You had a few things washed when he turned the water off and gently grabbed your shoulders. 

“Hey, where’d you go tonight?” 

“What do you mean?”

“You weren’t here. You were here - but not here.” 

“I’m fine,” you started to turn away, but he held you there, 

“Come on baby, what is it?”

You tried your best to avoid headlines and gossip, but every once in a while, one got to you, and tonight it did. You sighed and leaned against the sink. 

“Dieter?”

“Yeah?” he moved closer to you, concerned.

“-” you start and stop a few times, not knowing what to say, then finally spit out, “Scarlett Rose - “ 

At the sound of her name, Dieter sighed and cupped your cheeks with his hands. “Don’t let that get to you. It’s bullshit. Drama.” 

“In the photos, you just look so…”

Dieter grabbed your hand and led you to the table. Once you both seated, he looked you in the eye as he held your hands. “This is on me. I should've - I was so busy, then you got busy too. I didn’t push for anything definitive because I was worried.” 

“About?” 

“If you’d want to wait around for me that much, there may be times you don’t see me for half a year. It’s not easy."

“I know.” 

“My past, my reputation. I was scared you’d lose interest after a while.” 

“That’s crazy, it’s you, how could I ever get bored?”

“There’s that smile,” he kissed your forehead, “let me be clear then.  I’m off the market. There’s this sexy as fuck super smart astronomer -”

Your smile widened as relief washed over you. 

Dieter grew more animated as he talked, “She’s amazing! That’s where my heart is. Not some actress - you hear me.”

“Yes,” 

“I’m crazy about you, just you. Do you have any idea how much I look forward to seeing you?” he kissed your lips.

“Thank you, “you kissed him back, “that astronomer you speak of happens to be crazy about you too.” 

Dieter took a deep breath while admiring you, “Let’s make it official. You and me.”

“I’d like that.” 

“Me too,” he wrapped you in his arms, “I'm sorry, I should have asked earlier.” 

“You asked now, this is still special.”

Dieter pulled back from the hug first, your name soft on his lips, “I love you.” 

Relief and joy washed over you, “I love you too Dieter.” 

.

The year flew by, and soon it was November.

Busy with your book and work, you didn't get to fly out to LA as much as you wanted to. Dieter was also away filming. How little you saw each other was difficult but you made the best of it. As the days got closer to December you were filled with glee. You already thought the holidays were special, now Dieter gave them extra meaning.  

When a lull in your schedule came, you spent it at home and decided to do some deep cleaning. You were in the middle of that when Dieter called. Turning the music down, you answered the phone, 

“I'm outside.” 

“Really?” you lit up as you looked out the window to see him waving at you.

At this point, you haven't seen each other in months and missed him dearly. Happily, you rushed to the door and let him in. Jumping into his arms, you greeted each other with a hug and kiss. 

“I missed you,” he whispered against your skin. “I know this song, we did this together.” 

“I know, memories and all.” You grabbed your phone and showed it to him. It’s a playlist with his photo as the background titled ‘Kiss me under the mistletoe. “I know, it’s a little cheesy but it started with songs from the night, now I add any song that makes me think of you.” 

“You are adorable. “Excitedly, Dieter pulled up his phone and followed the playlist. Once that was done, he took a pouch out of his hand. "I have something for you.” 

“A visit and a gift, lucky me.” 

With one arm around you, he presented the pouch with the other. You opened the bag and pulled out a set of keys. 

“So, you can come to Sherman Oaks anytime you want even if I’m not there.”

“Dieter-” you hold them up with a smile. 

“I know we can’t move in together, technically - full time - your life and career are here, mine is in LA and wherever the work takes me. But, we can have a home base, together.” 

Feeling giddy, you rushed him with a kiss.  “I gotta make you a set of keys then, two home bases are better than one.” 

As you savor being in his arms, you think about the future. You and Dieter's relationship included lots of travel back and forth and one day it would be nice to be in the same place. 

Only part of your job at the Planetarium was on site, you wonder, if you get your job fully remote, maybe you could move out there temporarily? It was an idea with entering, especially as you and Dieter got more serious as time went on. 

.

You didn’t plan it this way, a book tour lining up with the holidays but here you were.

After publishing your sci-fi book (eight years in the making) in the spring, it was slow going, the sales and coverage you hoped for weren't there. Then something happened over the summer and fall, and your book took like wildfire. 

Due to some issues, your last date, which was supposed to be days ago, got delayed, which is why you were in another city days before Christmas, and not at home LA with Dieter. To be fair, his schedule got crazy last minute too, and he just made it back a day ago. 

You lovingly planned a whole holiday week together, a plan then had to abandon. It put you in a down mood and all you wanted was to be cozied up with him, not in some hotel room. 

Dieter: “It's okay baby, we’ll see each other tomorrow.”  

You: “I know I just - I had the perfect week planned and we didn’t get to do any of it.”  

Dieter: “I have you, that's all I need. Fuck the rest of it.” 

Later that night, as you prepared for bed, you got a text from Dieter with a link. You settled in, set two alarms for your flight then watched the video. 

Interviewer: We’re on set and behind the scenes with Dieter Bravo! Okay, first question and no cheating, what are the last two artists you listened to?” 

On the screen, Dieter was in his usual comfortable attire and wearing sunglasses. 

Dieter: Easy. Snoop Dog, Fleetwood Mac.

Interview: Wow, what a fun mix! 

Dieter: It’s my lady’s playlist, good stuff.

Dieter lowered his shades and winked at the camera, and you knew, no matter what other fans were watching and losing their shit, that wink was solely for you. He even tapped his arm where your bracelet lived before the interview continued. 

.

‘We are beginning our descent into Los Angeles-’ 

The overhead announcement pulled you from your light sleep. A light tingling sensation washed over you, followed by the urge to smile. This happened every time you landed in LA to see Dieter. Time was on your mind as well, today marked one year since you met. The night you met often replayed in your mind like a movie, even 12 months out, it was still hard to believe.

Off the plane now, you moved through the airport, each step getting you closer and closer to your love as anticipation buzzed within you. Dieter always sent the same car and driver, so you went to pick-ups and looked for a familiar face. You’re only down there for a few minutes when you see him holding a sign scribbled with hearts, in the middle was the nickname for you, ‘Cosmo’. 

“I cannot handle how cute you are!” You hurried your steps as he ran toward you. 

As you went in for a kiss, Dieter pulled a mistletoe from his pocket and held it over your head. 

“It’s tradition now. Happy anniversary!” 

“Happy anniversary,” you echoed before kissing him. 

This past fall, you and Dieter talked about an anniversary date. You met on Christmas Eve and started to see each other casually after that. But you didn’t make it official until the

springtime. When Dieter said time was just a man-made thing and you didn’t have to adhere to it, you both decided to make Christmas Eve your official anniversary date. 

.

As soon as you arrived at the house, Dieter asked you to close your eyes and led you to the living room.  

“I never have time to have a tree. The one time I did, I didn’t decorate it, it just sat there naked. I was upstairs painting and smoking a joint then I thought, do trees get cold? And I put a robe on it.” 

You laughed, “Of course you would.”

Dieter guided you into place, resting his hands on your hips. “Don’t worry, I used real decorations this year. Only the best for my love - open your eyes in 3-2-1.”

You gasped as you moved close to the tree. “Dieter!” 

“I stayed up all night to get it right -” he watched as you checked out the ornaments and lights, “I might have got too obsessed with getting it right,” he started counting on his fingers, “you should have seen it. I had Pinterest boards, watched videos, took a screenshot of the tree in your favorite Christmas movie…”

“It’s perfect!” 

It was the tree of your dreams, every detail from the ornaments, the color of the lights, the height. 

You look back, finding him smiling at you. “I know we were supposed to do it together.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” he hugged you from behind and rested his head on your shoulder. "A little sleep deprivation is a small price to pay for that look in your eyes. That’s what I wanted to see.” 

“I love you so much.” 

He brushed the tip of his nose against yours, “I love you too.” 

.

After a long eventful day, you and Dieter lay in bed warm and cozy, cuddling as moonlight streamed through the windows casting its silvery rays across your faces. Sleep called, its lullaby pleasing to your ears, but no match for the sweet trail of kisses Dieter planted on your shoulder. 

“I read your book again on my flight last week.” 

“You did?” you smiled feeling peaceful. 

“Question,” he reached over to the nightstand, grabbing your book. He flipped to a specific page and pointed at it. “This sex scene, was this inspired by that night after the concert?”

“In New York? When you were absolutely feral? Yes, rewrote the original scene. What can I say, you were my muse.”

“I knew it!” He threw his hands in the air. “Wait! The hair, the way he speaks - was he inspired by the space movie I didyears ago?” Dieter's eyes flew open wide. 

You pressed your finger to your lips, “If you don’t tell, I won't.” 

“This was so fucking hot baby.” 

“Have access to a sci-fi movie set where we can role-play?” you asked suggestively. 

“I would do this in a heartbeat.” 

You sat up and scooted closer to him. “Sometimes I still pinch myself to make sure this is real,” you confess happily. 

Dieter had a response ready but found himself tongue-tied as he looked into your eyes; you took his breath away, and he knew you still would when you were both old and grey. Slowly, Dieter tilted his head and moved in for a kiss. 

In each other's embrace, you stay here a while; in this space of love and warmth, trust and safety; home. Your hearts beating as one, drums in unison. Every brush of the lips, every caress, every pang of desire further deepening the bond between you. 

Dieter pulled you beneath him on the bed, teasing his lips against yours as you wrapped your legs around him. 

“You're not the only one with a present we need to wait for.” 

“Is that so?” Earlier in the evening as you exchanged gifts, you told him you had one more. It was something you were working hard at and hoped to present him with tonight but it wasn’t ready. 

“Mmmhmm. We gotta go to a place to see it. Road trip in a few days?” 

“I’d love that,” you replied while playing with his hair. 

.

Dieter took you on a short road trip, it was filled with sightseeing and off-the-beaten-track stops. You already had so much fun by the time you reached the destination you didn’t know what to expect, or how he would top it all. 

The observatory was amazing. Dieter loved watching you geek out as you took it all in. He gave you plenty of space to explore before guiding you to your gift. 

“Ooh a telescope?” 

He spoke off to the side with the guide who then put it in a specific position. 

“Sweetheart, I want you to look through this and tell me what you see.

“Okay,” the little kid in yours was so giddy from this whole trip. You loved any excuse to look at the stars. Once you settled in, you noticed the telescope was zoomed in as close as

possible with a star in the center. 

“Wanna know her name?” Dieter kneeled beside you, softly whispering your name in your ear. 

“No way!” you looked at him with a wide smile and tears in the corner of your eyes. 

He nodded enthusiastically, “way.” 

“I’m a fucking star in the galaxy!” 

“Thank you for an amazing year baby, and so many more to come.” 

Overwhelmed with joy, you jump into his arms. The two of you fall backward as you kiss. 

.

2024

You were nearly shaking with anticipation as the day came. You had breakfast, spent some time at the Met, and then finally took Dieter to his present. No matter how much he tried to get details out of you, you didn’t cave. But when you arrived at the address, his eyes flew open in surprise. 

“No fucking way-” he grabbed your arm, “baby?” 

“Yes.”

“How?!” 

“I have my connections too. I may not be a famous movie star, but it turns out 6 degrees of separation can really be helpful.” you pointed to the tattoo artist's name, “turns out his father used to be an Astronomy professor and knew my boss.” 

“This is the best present ever!” Dieter jumped up and down, then pulled you into a big hug. 

He had a few tattoos, all small. He had a bigger piece in mind, there was only one guy he wanted to do it. A man who was booked years out, even for Hollywood stars, and worked all over the world. He was rarely ever at his NY studio these days. Dieter hoped to work with him but didn’t know if it would ever really happen - until you. 

“You worked your magic baby, amazing!” he gave you a big kiss and then rushed inside, pulling you along behind him. 

.

Life with Dieter was exciting, funny, sensual, and at times frustrating. You knew who he was, and what his life was like. So going in you had some context, but being his girlfriend and living it real time was a wild ride. Still, you and Dieter’s love deepened with each day. 

This fairy tale turned reality was still strange, and you were thankful for every second of it, even the upsetting parts but this was still your reality - you were the woman who captured his heart. Dieter wasn’t shy about his romance or how in love he was. He was super protective of you, while also letting the world know yes, he was taken, happily. 

“I’m a very lucky man, and yes, I’m in love. She’s fucking amazing.” He said in one interview. 

He didn’t like paparazzi getting close to you and wasn’t shy about telling reporters and others to mind their business and give you space. He even took you to events, which was wild the first time, it was a trip and felt like a dream - you still have the photo taken of you two on the red carpet on your photo wall. He looked so happy, smiling as he buried his face in your hair; all the flashing lights and big names, and all he saw was you. 

As the year moved along, there were still long periods where you didn’t see each other, and at times, you missed him so much it hurt. But you always knew you'd reunite, and it made the reunions so much sweeter. As for your living situation, it was kind of all over, your place, his place, and everything in between. Though you were making the best of it, it was getting a little exhausting at times. You knew some changes may be needed, possibly sooner than later, but you were also anxious about upsetting the wacky balance that was your lives together. 

.

Now, three weeks before Christmas, you made your way to LA. You’d stay for two months this time, and we're looking forward to it. After a busy shoot, Dieter had four weeks of vacation coming up and was looking forward to spending every second of it with you.

But your reunion had to wait just a little longer. You’d spend these first two weeks alone, decorating the house, getting the tree up, and writing. You had an idea for your third book and the words were flying, wanting to ride the inspiration wave, you decided to spend the time before his arrival getting as much work done as possible, then nothing but relaxing once he arrived. Unlike last year, you were the one arriving early while Dieter would be late. He hoped to return from the UK by Christmas Eve, and then you’d start your vacation

together. 

After landing, you rented a car and headed to his house. Upon approaching, your jaw dropped, the house was decked out, with lights, Santa, snowmen, and elves - all of it and you couldn't help but laugh because there was just so much of everything, like Dieter decorated in one of his manic states. 

“Oh Dieter,” you laughed, imagining him frantically decorating before flying out. He must have done this to give you more time to write.

Once inside the house, you dropped off your bags by the door then followed the sound of music to the living room. Was one of his assistants here? The occasional house staff? You were happy to do things on your own, so when you visited you didn’t need extra hands around. 

Half expecting to see the part-time butler or one of his assistants, you turned the corner and entered the living room. 

“Oh my god-” 

You raised your hands to your mouth, taking in the gorgeous Christmas tree. Dieter was currently on a ladder, adding a star on the top. 

“Surprise!” He said with a big smile. 

“‘What are you doing here?” 

“That's kind of how surprises work baby, you don’t tell the person - “

“Smartass,” you made your way to him as he climbed down. His pockets were stuffed with ornaments, and he had a row of lights round his neck. “You look like a Christmas tree.” 

“Two for one- “he grinned then dug a mistletoe from his pocket, 

“Gladly,” you sing, cupping his cheeks with your hands as you kiss him. 

.

Dieter stopped in the doorway as you typed at your computer, your fingers moving quickly as the words left you at lightning speed. He loved watching you work, loved watching you do anything really. And he was more than happy to turn this room into your writing sanctuary, it was filled with excess canvases and this house was always too big for him, well - until you got here, only then did it really start to feel like home.

Leaving you to it, he stepped away quietly and returned to the kitchen to unbag the groceries. It’s been three days since you arrived, three blissful days, days he dreamed of on his long nights and early mornings on set. 

He was happy, over the moon really but he was also so damn nervous his stomach was in knots. This was going well, better than he expected, better than he ever maintained any other relationship before.

The truth was, he fell in love with you that very first night. You had his heart, then and there. And he spent a bunch of time afraid he’d fuck it up, so he convinced himself it was good - being so busy - he couldn't fuck things up that way. He was thankful he came to his senses and made it official that night at your place, he deserved this, you were meant to be together. 

.

After dinner, you cleared up the kitchen then snuggled on the couch to watch one of your favorite holiday movies. As the movie went on, you noticed Dieter was distracted, in fact, he had been during all of dinner. 

“Hey,” you turned the movie off, “you, okay?” 

He cleared his throat as he looked at you, clearly nervous. 

“Dieter,”

You took his hand in yours, worried about what it could be. He did just film with an old party buddy and fellow actor of his, was this related to that? Was he feeling tempted? Whatever it was, you’d support him and help him through it. 

He ran his hands through his hair once, then a second time, and took a deep breath. 

“Okay, I am officially very worried. Talk to me.” 

“I think a kiss will make me feel better.” 

“I’ll give you all the kisses you want,” after the kiss, you wrapped your arms around him while holding eye contact. “Talk to me.” 

He wet his lips, then closed his eyes. You can do this. Don’t be a chicken shit. Just ask!  

When he opened his eyes again, they were soft and full of love. He held your face in his hands, 

“You're the love of my life. My soulmate. I knew it the moment I saw you. Marry me?”

“Yes, I'll marry you!” 

There were no awkward pauses, no hesitation, this was 100% a yes and you could feel your soul dancing. Dieter was your other half, the missing puzzle piece you didn't even know you needed. Happy as a puppy, Dieter littered your face with kisses.

“Oh shit, the ring, wait -"he got it out of his pocket and down on one knee, “let me do this right.” 

Before you could tell him, his way was perfect, he proceeded, the sound of your name was like poetry on his tongue, 

“Will you marry me?”

You kneeled too, “of course, I’ll marry you - as long as there’s chilled Kit Kats and karaoke.” 

Dieter laughed and placed the ring on your finger. “You’re fucking amazing.” 

You stared at your hand, happy tears falling down your cheeks. “Holy shit! Mrs. Bravo!"

He smiled softly, admiring you while caressing the length of your arm. “Dreams do come true my love.” 

“Damn right they do,” you took one more look at the ring, then at him, savoring the look in his eyes, “Mrs. Bravo?!"

“Mrs. Bravo.” He repeated as he pressed his lips to yours. 

As an exception I posted this in full. I no longer post full work on tumblr, just on A03.

I’ve been down with a bad cold over a week now so pls forgive any horrible grammar issues, my head is super congested, did my best 💜Arte

✨Previous Secret Santas: one, two

✨My Pedro character masterlist

✨Masterlist

More moodboards below

Be kind, reblog 💜it helps more people see it. ✨

[justenjoythegossip]

CHRIS & ABBA’S LATEST PR STUNT & THE VISIBLE ENDGAME OF THE PR STRATEGY or… “WILL YOU JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY? IT HAS BEEN TWO FREAKING YEARS”…

Recap of recent events: 

Yesterday was the premiere of Red One in Berlin. Go Germany. Chris didn’t walk the red carpet before Dwayne as he was supposed to, arrived late with his wife, walked the carpet (after almost missing it) without her, played with the precious very ostentatiously for the cameras, she and Chris shared a moment together as they hugged and she gave him a look of... disgust(?). Then they were filmed sitting together for the movie and Chris seemed angry/pissed(?) at her as he gestures, seemingly does a nervous tick by pressing on his glasses and she rolls her head… #couplegoals LOL

Side note: kudos to the PR agent sitting next to Abba for her clapping as it seemingly helped indicate to her she was supposed to applaud her loving husband and also served as miraculous blocking from this angle, to show us only what they want us to see. 

She was always going to be there…

I have been asked many times if I thought Abba would show up at the premiere. And I always answered that I was 50/50 on the matter. When we learned that it was actually Justin who arranged that podcast for her, I was leaning towards no. Because why would she feel the need to go on a podcast no one asked for, if she was going to get the exposure of a big Hollywood premiere soon, right? Then we got the Avengers’ PR stunt where they endorsed Kamala Harris and Chris was flashing his ringless hand so ostentatiously. And then I immediately thought, of course she will be there. Her saying her marriage year was terrible coupled with his non wearing his wedding ring was meant to manipulate his fans into thinking the end was near and like always to add shock value to their next PR stunt. 

And of course she was going to be there, this is actually a big part of why he did this PR stunt in the first place. He wanted the world to know he was a married man and there is no better platform than a Hollywood event to push a narrative… even when you push it as discreetly as you can so that you don’t offend your fandom and the general public any further…

Why did we get a remake of what happened at the Ghosted premiere and what does this mean?

If people remember the Ghosted Premiere, they did not walk together as they infamously made their red carpet debut for the Vanity Fair party. At the time, I theorized that the reason they didn’t was because they wanted to ease his fans in as they knew there was quite a lot of backlash from his fans but also from the general public. I still think that was the case but it’s even more obvious after today’s stunt, as this was a win-win for Chris. He gets to sell the married man brand he is craving so desperately while putting his kinda wife in a corner.  Go Berlin! She gets to come but has to make sure she is not seen too much as her presence could offend his fans and a part of the general public and more importantly have an impact on his movie’s box office and his career more generally speaking. And look how his “fans” take this as a victory… 

But it’s not, it’s just more manipulation and gaslighting on Chris and his team’s part. 

Because clearly all the content of the 2 of them was not meant for the general public but destined to his fandom. And as you can see they didn’t make it to the Just Jared article this time. But they did get to sell the “we are real and private/we are just PR” narrative. Badly like always because it’s the point. 

https://www.justjared.com/2024/11/03/dwayne-johnson-lucy-liu-chris-evans-more-premiere-new-holiday-movie-red-one-in-berlin/

But now we finally get a clearer sense of why Abba felt the need to go on a podcast no one cared about for the first edition of a small festival that got little to no media coverage! She is basically reduced to a prop that has basically no voice or agency but is taken out for minimal lowkey PR stunts when it’s absolutely necessary. But since she a Nazi sex worker, I am guessing we should all be ok with this. But more on that later. 

The latest appearance of the precious ring and its use from a PR standpoint… 

I have already discussed the ring profusely and even recently when he went to the walk of fame for Kevin Feige. Here are a couple of posts where I give my 2 cents about it.

Before I dive into the latest shenanigans with the precious, it’s important to note that playing with wedding rings is very “in” right now. And so what Chris did last night was textbook CAA. Just look at what Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck recently did with theirs or even more ridiculously how Dakota flashed her engagement ring during an arranged papwalk. 

Here you can see a video of Chris with the very purposefully loose ring:

As people have pointed out, the ring is way too big, isn’t it? And clearly that’s the whole point since it feeds the “it’s only PR” narrative, isn’t it? But that’s not even the most interesting part about this little clip. Look at where the fans are on this video, then pay closer attention to the camera placement. Can you see how much emphasis the person who is filming (not a fan) is putting on the loose ring and how CURATED this all is?

And now look at Chris playing with his ring so naturally and organically (sarcasm) as the photographers are taking his picture. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Evans Army (@cevans_army)

They want you to see it, they are showing it to you, as ostentatiously as it gets. Even when Chris plays the game of “hide the ring”, it is to draw more attention to it while trying to gain sympathy from fans who are so desperate to see a glimmer of regret in his demeanor. 

The programmed obsolescence of Team Real/Team PR and the endgame of the PR strategy 

I have discussed months ago, how this strategy of “divide and conquer” which was symbolized by the discourse and fighting between Team Real and Team PR was just a starting point. A PR strategy can only be understood and appreciated when it can be analyzed in the long run. Those 2 trolling teams were the loud extremist voices that were obnoxious and repulsive enough (in their tone or rhetoric) to drive fans away from them and the narratives they were selling, paving the way for the more reasoned and rational Team Middle. I wrote a post about it if you want to check it out. 

As Team PR and team Real have become completely redundant, all that is left is the narrative Team Middle are pushing. Notice how they purposefully keep blurring the line to disorient (classic manipulation tactics by the way) and make people accept what they are selling. And today they might distract you with the loose ring, the presence of her relatives, the not walking the red carpet together or taking pictures together (but just you wait for the NY premiere as it is just around the corner), their bad body language around each other, the awkwardness and coolness of their exchanges, her cheap outfit while he is dressed in designer clothes by his scientologist and rapist apologist stylist, or they will point out how over the top and fake he was in his reactions at the premiere and I could go on and on… All of this is true BUT it is all a distraction and misdirection. 

As they have pointed out repeatedly, it has been two years, so you should just accept it or move on. The fandom no longer needs your services if you are not capable of enjoying the content they “so kindly” provide for you. They will feed you the crumbs showing how fake it is to appease you and to distract from Chris’ complicity and manipulation as long as you behave. 

The seemingly counterintuitive promoting of this girl by plants, their vicious trolling and what purposes it serves..

So many plants allegedly hate Abba but talk about her constantly. The amount of attention she is getting from them seems incommensurable. Like posting her numbers religiously or obsessing about what she is wearing and so forth.

If it weren’t for them we would hear very little about her. For example, we would have known she was going to do a podcast in her home country only after she posted about it and not a long time before hand. It's also important to note that most of the time she is mentioned, it is in a very negative way as they usually make fun of her and humiliate her. As you know, “there is no such thing as bad publicity”. But in this instance, it’s interesting to ask ourselves why and also what purposes it serves more specifically.

Well, I have just mentioned that bad publicity is still publicly, but another key rule is: know your audience. And obviously Chris’ fandom dislikes her so intensely that talking about her in a negative way, showing animosity towards her is the smart approach to gain the trust of his fans you want to manipulate. The goal here is to paint her as an absolute villain. I am not defending her by the way as she is an awful person but she has 0 power in this story but she makes for a hell of a scapegoat in this shitshow. And indeed, people can easily project all of their disappointment, anger and negative emotions onto her in order to soothe their frustration. 

You see the industry makes you do things you don’t want to do if you let it, talent agencies are as unethical as it gets and will play an awful game if you let them, the PR wife that you selected (or agreed on) might be a POS… but at the end of the day, it’s all a reflection of your own choices and of who you are… 

NB: special thanks to friends and mods who provided me with content and shared with me their smart observations. If I don’t thank you by name it’s to protect you from being blocked LOL

[dancinglikebutterflywings]

Spooky Season | Halloween Event 2024

Ghost Stories | Jongho

🧡 Pairing: Choi Jongho x gf!Reader

🖤 Requested by: Anon

🧡 Prompt: 18 - Telling ghost stories.

🖤 Warnings: Ghosts. This one involves babies, midwives and a matron (chief or head nurse). The ghost story Jongho tells is inspired by one of the many experiences I had as a kid. I tried to make it spooky but let's face it as much as I love spooky stuff, I suck at writing it.

🧡 Word Count: 1,783

🖤 Taglist: Open. Send an ask or fill out the Tag List Form. Please note that the halloween event taglist is included in the general taglist.

Spooky Season 2024 Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Y/N and Jongho were finally enjoying their first date night in what felt like months. This Halloween, they opted for a cozy evening at home, ready to dive into a marathon of scary movies while indulging in takeout and snacks they bought the day before. They’d politely declined all their friends' invitations to Halloween parties and events and placed a bowl filled with candy outside the door so they weren’t interrupted by trick or treaters. However, they were caught off guard by an unexpected power outage caused by a drunk driver crashing into the transformer that supplies electricity to their block. 

"How about instead of scary movies, we tell scary stories instead," Y/N suggests lighting her last candle so they have a little bit of light. 

"Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend," he chuckles, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth. This is coming from someone who only watches scary movies on Halloween with the compromise that they keep the lights and a promise to follow up with something lighthearted afterwards. He thought she’d be relieved to skip the scary stuff altogether. "Are you possessed or something?" he joked, leaning in closer to her face as if to inspect her for signs of a takeover. "Hello, Y/N? Are you still in there? Blink twice if I need to find an exorcist."  

"Stop," she chuckles, rolling her eyes and gently pushing him away from her. "I assure you I have not been possessed," she says. "I just thought it would be fun to keep it somewhat spooky, ya know, without the jump scares." 

Jongho raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her unexpected suggestion.  I guess that could work. But you have to promise me one thing," he says agreeing to it. "Remember that this was your idea. If you get scared, you can't put the blame on me." 

"Deal! But if I do get scared, you have to hold my hand," she counters with a cheeky smile. "Let’s play rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first."  

They both lifted their hands, "One… two… three!"  

Jongho goes with paper, while Y/N picked rock.  

"Ha! I win!" he cheers, clapping his hands in excitement. "Looks like I get to start. I promise the first story won’t be too scary."  

"Alright," she rolled her eyes again, a grin on her face as she settles into the couch.  

"A friend of mine told me this story. It really happened to him," he began, also getting cozy on the couch. "So, my friend’s dad worked as a security guard. His job was to check on old buildings to ensure they hadn’t been broken into and that no one was squatting inside. Some of these places had alarms, so he would just walk around a few times, making sure there were no one suspicious hanging around," he continues. "One of the buildings he had to check was an old maternity hospital on the outskirts of town. After being closed for years, it had reopened as a temporary doctor's office. The locals often whispered about it being haunted, claiming it felt cold even in the summer and that they heard babies crying or the sound of heels clicking down the hall," he explained, his eyes widening as he recalled the eerie details. Storytelling has always been something he's always been good at. "My friend's dad often did night security at this building. After his shift he would come home and tell my friend about what he experienced that night. My friend was so excited to hear his stories. He's really into the paranormal." 

"You've told me about this friend," she says recalling the times he talked about him. "He does ghost hunting on YouTube now, right?" 

"That's him," Jongho nods before continuing his story. "One night his dad promised to take him to the hospital with him. His mum reluctantly agreed but since it wasn't a school, she allowed him to go. Of course he was over the moon about it. This is his first time going to a real haunted building." 

He leans forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, as if the very walls of the room might be listening. This causes Y/N to instinctively lean in closer to. 

"It's dark by the time they get to the old maternity hospital. My friend said he could feel the eerie feeling before he even saw the building. It sent chills down his spine. After they get out of the car, his dad hands him a flashlight, and they made their way to the entrance. The door creaks as his dad pushes it open, revealing a dark hallway that seems to stretch for miles. The air thick and heavy as they walk inside, so much so that it’s almost suffocating. My friends could feel his heart racing, both excited and terrified at the same time." His eyes gleam with mischief as he recounts the details. "They stepped inside, and then, bam!” he shouts causing Y/N to jump, “The door slammed shut behind them. My friend's dad chuckles trying to lighten the mood. He’s been there many times so he should be use to all the activity by now, but my friend could tell he was a bit on edge too.”  

"What happened next?" she asks, her curiosity piqued.  

"They began to walk down the corridor, making sure all the doors were locked and secure. My friend can’t shake the feeling that they’re being watched the entire time,” he replies. “They get to the room at the end of the hall and as his dad makes sure its locked, the door swings open. It was unlocked. His dad reassured him that perhaps one of the doctors had forgotten to lock it, so he closed the door, the keys clinking loudly in the stillness as he locked it. After confirming it was locked, they turn to head down another corridor, which was much shorter than the main one. But as they walk, checking the doors, the temperature drops, and the sound of babies crying fills the air. It’s a haunting sound and it sends chills down my friend's spine. He glances at his dad, who’s gone pale, his usual bravado replaced by a look of fear. He may have checked on this building so many times that he should be used to it but it still scares him." 

"I would still be scared too," Y/N confesses. He nods in agreement, even though the only thing that truly frightens him is bugs. A haunted place doesn’t faze him at all. "What did they do next?" she asks. 

"They kept on going," he replies, his tone growing more serious. "But with every step, the atmosphere thickened and crying grew louder and more desperate. My friend wanted to turn back, but his dad insisted they keep going, he has a job to do after all."  

"That sounds terrifying," Y/N interjects, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did they find anything? Were anymore doors unlocked."  

"Not at first," he says, shaking his head. "They reached the last door, and his dad paused, listening intently. The crying had stopped and it was replaced by an unsettling silence. My friend felt a knot in his stomach and heard his own voice in his head telling him to run. His dad, on the other hand, had to brave it and went to push the door open."  

"What was inside?" Y/N asks, her curiosity piqued.  

"I don’t know. The door was locked," he tells her before continuing with the story. “So, they end up walking back up the corridor, the eerie silence, following behind them. When they got back to the main corridor, that’s when the loud clicking of heels on the concrete floors begins and it only grows louder as the sound grows closer to them. But, it eventually stops when the sound reaches the end of the corridor and is quickly replaced with the sound of a door unlocking and the creak of the door swinging open." 

"Fuck that, I'd be out of there as fast as my legs could take me," she shivers. 

"My friend said the same thing. He would have bolted if he wasn't frozen in fear," he says. "His dad, though scared, walks the few feet to the door, pulls it shut and locks it again before calling out to the spirit he believes it is. 'Matron, you can't be unlocking doors that are supposed to be locked. I don't want to lose my job because someone thinks I'm not doing it properly.' he calls out to the old chief nurse, his voice trembling." 

Y/N's eyes widen, captivated by the unfolding story. "Did the matron respond?" 

"No. But the sound of babies crying started again," he says and shakes his head. "After making sure the door was locked once more, they bolted out of the hospital as quickly as they could. They got in the car and my friend's dad started the drive back to the next location. As they were leaving, my friend heard a voice telling him to look back, so he did." 

"What did he see?" Y/N asks, her interest clearly piqued. Jongho can't help but smile at her fascination; usually, she hides behind a cushion during scary stories. 

He leans in closer again, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "He saw a figure of a woman wearing an old nurses uniform standing in the doorway of the hospital. Her face is pale and gaunt, with eyes that seem to pierce right through him. He couldn't bring himself to look away." 

Y/N's breath catches in her throat, her heart racing as she imagines the scene. "What happened next?" she urges, leaning forward, her eyes wide with anticipation. 

Jongho takes a moment, savoring the suspense. "As he stared, the woman raised a hand, slowly started waving to him," he says lifting his own hand and waves it at Y/N. "As the terrified feeling inside him starts to dissipate, he couldn't stop himself from waving back to her. She was the first ghost he'd ever seen." 

"Did he ever go back to the hospital?" she asks. 

He shakes his head. "No, he had all the evidence he needed to believe that hospital is haunted. He didn't feel the need to go back." 

“I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t go back either,” she says, moving closer to him.  

“It’s your turn to tell a story,” he teases her and pulls her into his arms. 

Just as she’s about to say something, the lights flicker back on. “Let's watch something instead,” she suggests picking up the remote and starts going through the movies on netflix. 

©️ 2024 dancinglikebutterflywings - do not copy/modify/repost anywhere. reblog instead

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[father-jude]

@theangellies

Jude was at the balloon dart game. Quietly spending his time winning prizes to give out to the kids later. His hand eye coordination was still impeccable and he didn't mind being a bit of a ringer. Even with his bandages right hand he thankfully still could throw a dart. The third balloon popped and there was a small smattering of cheers as Jude pointed at the prize he wanted. Turning around and giving it away to the little girl that had wanted it. His eyes moved up and saw Avi. He smiled, giving the other man a small wave, not thinking about his bandaged hand for a moment.

[lilacliquors]

welcome to lilacliquors's

single? taken? hopelessly in love with unattainable fictional men? this event is for you!

in the days leading up to valentine's day, we'll have 7 fluffy and 7 smutty prompts to celebrate a day centered on romance

rules + relevant info below the cut!

the 14 days start on february 1st and will go until the 14th, and because we only have 14 prompts, these may be longer

these prompts are based off of the posts they're snatched from! yes it's cute and also it gives me a prompt to work with, so they'll be out faster

because we have only 14 days, i'll only write for a character once. i know we might all wanna see our faves doing every fluffy / smutty prompt, but we gotta share the love here

like kinktober, if you enjoyed a prompt and want longer versions, or perhaps you want that same prompt with a different character, i'll be more than happy to write it over the holidays!

i write afab reader only. however, with these being in general fluff prompts and not smut, there is a much higher chance they'll be more gender neutral

i will be tagging all posts with #sweet and spicy special 2024, #character name fluff, #character name smut, and #character name sweet and spicy special for easier navigation or for tag blocking purposes

the list for my characters can be found here

make sure to check back to this post to see which prompts have been claimed!

SMUT - from this post here!

[PINNED]: sender pins receiver against a wall - edgin x reader

[COLLAR]: sender grabs receiver by the collar to pull them closer - phillip graves x reader

[LAP]: sender pulls receiver onto their lap - alejandro vargas x reader

[OFFICE]: sender and receiver are making out in receiver's office - matt murdock x reader

[PULL]: sender pulls on receiver's hair to expose their neck - johnny cage mk11 x reader

[MUFFLE]: sender puts their hand over receiver's mouth to keep them quiet - billy butcher x reader

[TABLE]: sender touches receiver's thigh under the table at a restaurant or a dinner party - soldier boy x reader

FLUFF - from this post here

[  OVERHEARD  ]: sender reveals that they’re in love with the receiver to a third party, not realizing that the receiver, while out of sight, has just overheard the confession. - bi - han x reader

[  TRACE  ]: sender, believing the receiver to be asleep, gently traces the message “i love you” on the receiver’s bare skin with their finger. - syzoth x reader

[  DANCING  ]: as they slow-dance together, the sender takes the opportunity to lean in close to the receiver and tell them that they love them. - miguel o'hara x reader

[  WEDDING  ]: as they prepare to exchange wedding vows, sender gazes at the receiver and says “i love you” for the last time as an unmarried couple. - kuai liang x reader

[  RELIEF  ]: upon reuniting with the receiver, whom the sender briefly believed to be dead, the sender emotionally embraces them, and says “i love you” in the spur of the moment. - johnny cage mk1 x reader

[  QUIET  ]: on a cozy night in with the receiver, as they curl up together on the sofa/in bed, the sender says “i love you” to them. - smoke x reader

[  FIRST  ]: sender tells the receiver “i love you” for the first time. - poe dameron x reader

[bakerstreethound]

Bakerstreethound Masterlist 2.0

Hello! I'm in the process of cleaning up the disaster that was my old masterlist. Please read the Request Rules ​ for info on what I do/don't write. Please be kind to each other. Any ageless, blank, or bot blogs will be blocked as will those who spam like.

5yr Anniversary Celebration Event

Strawberry Sherlock Masterlist 

Kinktober 2022

Jan Writing Challenge (2020)

Old Masterlist

Last updated: 12/September/2024

BBC Sherlock

Sherlock Holmes

What if Mornings Were Good? - Days pass in a blur, and they've been hard to find joy in, each one passing slowly, yet quickly simultaneously and you want it to slow down. Luckily, Sherlock is there to comfort and support you along the way, though your mind is intent on bullying you and causing you anxiety for the future and everything in between.

Gentle Love - Sherlock Holmes is not the best at expressing his emotions, let alone how to help you when you are going through a rough day. Years ago, he discovered that washing your hair was one of the ways he liked to show his care and adoration, especially when words fail him, and he cannot fully express his love for you.

Weariness & Passion - Sherlock comforts you after a rough day and you want nothing more than to be near him, holding him close and kissing him.

To Ease Such Panic - Sherlock comforts you after a night of panicking and he helps ease your mind and worries.

Heavy is the Burden - After a long day of errands and classes, you finally return home seeking solace and basking in the warmth of Sherlock.

A Single Touch - A peaceful afternoon in 221B takes a turn when you become insistent on needing Sherlock's attention and he indulges.

To Another Year - When the party for the new year begins at 221B, you reflect upon your year and the many blessings it's given you - that one of a new family, both blood and chosen.

******

Berry Kisses - Sherlock's kisses are one thing you cannot live without anymore. He can't resist you anymore than when he's on the trail of a killer. You live for the quiet moments where you can be at peace with each other, if even for a short while.

Light in the Darkness (Request) - Waking up in Sherlock's arms is one of the highlights of your day, and he shows you how much he adores you; how grateful he is to have you in his life.

Strawberry Delight (Strawberry!Sherlock) - Quiet early mornings on Baker Street are a rarity, especially with Sherlock clinging to you and asking for more than kisses. One thing leads to another and you oblige his wishes.

Anatomy of Boredom (short blurb request) - During a quiet night you ask Sherlock what he's reading, and he begins to read aloud the excerpts of his Anatomy book, but soon enough he gives in to one of your choices.

Blooming Chemistry (University Era Sherlock) - When Sherlock becomes your Chemistry tutor, you form an unlikely friendship, and an undeniable bond unfolds. Do either of you confess your feelings or continue living in denial? Waiting until the week before finals sounds like the perfect time to muse over these feelings, right? 

A New Horizon  - It’s the end of the semester and the night before graduating with your Bachelors Degree and you reflect on your journey. Sherlock, on the other hand, is determined to let you know how proud he is of you and your accomplishments. 

Madness or Madly in Love? (Request) - When Sherlock notices you refusing to give him affection for a couple of hours, he grows worried, knowing it’s because he forgot to let you know of his whereabouts the past week. Now, he has to pay his penance, asking for your forgiveness. 

Give Me One More Chance (Request) - How many chances is enough? For you, you’ve reached your breaking point and break the news to Sherlock after feeling neglected in an on again off again relationship with him, if that’s even what you can call it. (Angst NO Comfort)

Forget Me Not (Request) - Sherlock is worried about you and comes to comfort you.

Hold Me Close (Short Blurb) - Sherlock senses your stress and brings you to bed to help ease your worries as you strokes his curls.

Won’t You Stay? - Starting a new semester always has it downfalls and shortcomings, but Sherlock is there to hold you through the worst of times, especially to help combat your greatest foe - your mind. 

Corrupted Evidence (Request) - You accidentally messed up with some evidence Andersons when Sherlock brings you with him to a crime scene. Sherlock gets mad at Anderson and stands up for you.

Never Idle - Being a workaholic has its downsides and Sherlock, the poor lad, does his best trying to get you to relax, even though he isn’t well versed in healthy ways to cope with day-to-day life and boredom.

Desperation Calls (Short Blurb) - After dragging Sherlock to a night you're receiving an award at work; he whisks away to ravish you.

Birthday Boy - A short blurb involving my beloved detective. This is kinda rushed and scattered since I should've been in bed hours ago but I'll probably do another birthday surprise for him sometime later. Cheers

A Thousand Wishes  - You reminisce over the year with Sherlock after the New Years Eve party at 221B comes to a close.

******

Successful Year (Blurb Request) - Sherlock discovers something and wants to show you immediately.

Patience is a Virtue (Strawberry!Sherlock - Kinktober 2022) - With Sherlock home, you decide to have a little fun and rile him up all while making sure he knows how much you love and adore him. 

Otter Paw Mittens (Strawberry!Sherlock Blurb) - You gift Sherlock a pair of mittens for Christmas.

Cuddles & Unruly Curls (Strawberry!Sherlock Blurb) - Sherlock is grumpy and flops on your lap, demanding attention, which you gladly bestow, that is after you tease him first.

Rest my Darling - I may or may not be freaking out about the end of the semester which lead to me writing this plus I wasn't feeling the greatest either. Is it too much to ask for one extra week of break to rest more?

Adorable Otters (Strawberry!Sherlock) - Sherlock tries to grab your attention to show you some otters.

Hold my Heart for it Bleeds (Request) - Soft Sherlock drags you to his room and curls up with you on his bed after a really bad day. He doesn’t say anything, just clings to you as he silently cries into your neck, not wanting you to see just how horrible he feels but also needing to close to you.

Feeding Sherlock (Blurb) - You use your wiles to convince Sherlock to eat something after days of him forgetting to sustain himself.

Tangled Sheets (Short Blurb) - Being tangled in the sheets with Sherlock, you can't help but give him kisses, and perhaps something more.

Must be the Late Night Talking (Blurb) - Nothing to see here but another blurb. I apologize if it seems scattered, but writing has been keeping me going pretty much for the last couple of days as a form of comfort so...yeah this happened. We’re also going to ignore that this is 1.1k+ words so yes, it’s a blurb. 

For Once (Short Blurb) - Registering for classes is a pain in the ass and I’m stuck in a pickle as I’m trying to graduate soon, so this blurb is a big anger outlet where Sherlock tries to help out.

Forever Yours (Kinktober 2022) - You’ve had a long day at work, Sherlock is out on a long case and yet he comes home early to surprise you and give comfort. 

Fire & Ice (Kinktober 2022) - Sherlock decides to try out a new experiment with you involving some ice. Needless to say, you both enjoy it, finding comfort in each other’s arms not long after.

I’ll Take Care of You (Strawberry!Sherlock - Kinktober 2022) - You grow desperate for Sherlock’s presence and when he’s not in bed with you the early hours of the morning you start to worry, but when you wake the second time, you are pleased to find him safe and sound in your arms. You then decide to take matters into your own hands and show/tell him how much he means to you. 

Strength to Carry On (Short Blurb) - You get overwhelmed and don’t feel like you have the strength to do anything but fall into Sherlock’s arms for comfort. Everything feels like too much. 

After the Storm (Strawberry!Sherlock -request) - Strawberry!Sherlock comforts you after a thunderstorm causes you to panic and you hurt yourself. 

Hair Product (Short Blurb) - A self-indulgent little blurb featuring Sherlock and his messy morning curls.

Simple Evenings (Strawberry!Sherlock) - Sherlock gets clingy and tries to drag you to bed after a long day because he wants to cuddle and adore you. 

Graduation Nights, Old Regrets - You drag Sherlock along to your niece’s high school graduation which you yourself aren’t too keen on attending. Throughout the night, though you look back on regrets of not having or attending your own graduation, but Sherlock ever the charming gentleman he tries to be, eases your worries a little through the strenuous night.  

Flight or Freeze - After a nightmarish weekend, that doesn’t provide any semblance of peace, you try to come to terms with a flashback into your past and Sherlock comes to your aid.

******

A Case of Mistletoe & Presents -  Despite not liking or seeing a point in the holiday season, you show Sherlock with a little bit of mistletoe & presents, the holidays aren’t too much of a bore…at least you’re with him to keep him company. 

Semester’s Dread -In wake of signing up for classes for the coming semester, Sherlock eases you through your stress and worries. 

Atonement of Sins - After your multiple outbursts, sadness, and heartbreak, you and Sherlock come to terms to help mend the rift of your relationship and if it’s worth resolving in order to be in each other’s arms again. 

Chocolate Covered (Strawberry!Sherlock) - It’s Valentine’s Day and you decide to try out a sweet new experiment with Sherlock, which in turn ends in passion play. 

Winter Wonderland - Despite not understanding why decorating 221B for Christmas is entertaining for you and John, Sherlock attempts to join in on the festivities. 

******

Summoning Angels (Victorian Era Holmes) - Four years your husband, Sherlock Holmes has been dead. Four years since you left 221B behind to deal with your grief. Today is just another day suffering the absence of his loss.

Ecstasy - It’s been a long day & you want to help Sherlock de-stress after a hellish couple of weeks.

Sweet Remedy (Strawberry!Sherlock) - It’s the end of a tiring week and you want to spend the evening in Sherlock’s arms

Back in Your Arms - You’re back home at your flat after your first day of University and are exhausted beyond measure and Sherlock comforts you. 

Until the Bell Tolls - You’re about to start another semester of college and Sherlock helps reassure you. 

Home At Last (sequel to Miss Me, Miss You) - Sequel to Miss Me? Miss You. You’re back from your trip with your parents and Sherlock is very…well, Sherlock. 

Take & You Take - You and Sherlock get into an argument after a mission from Mycroft goes awry. 

Miss Me? Miss You - After receiving news that you’re going to your parents place for over a week, Sherlock struggles with the realization you won’t be around and tells you in a very Sherlock like way and you make sure he knows how much you’ll miss him. 

My Bright Place - You and Sherlock have a domestic after a case after you have had enough of Sherlock’s excuses and antics, leading both of you to make up in your own unconventional ways.

Dress Me Up - You wake up Sherlock for a case, but get distracted. 

Save Yourself - You've tried to save Sherlock from himself countless times, but you leave it up to him, reminding him your help only extends so far.

Narrow Way -  You come back to 221B hoping to make resolutions with your ex-husband but not all ends up according to plan.

Fine Tuning - All you want to do at the end of the day is fall into the arms of your husband.

Where Pettiness Lies - Drama always seems to find you at the most inconvenient time. Luckily, Sherlock is there to comfort you.

Late Night Essay Night - Stressed about an upcoming paper, you rant to Sherlock about it.

Truth Be Told (mini-series)

Beautiful Chaos | Fear of Falling Apart | Truth Be Told

******

The Sandman Universe

Morpheus (Dream of the Endless)

Once a Dream, Twice the Nightmare - Going on a date proves to be difficult, especially when it is from a guy at your office who cannot take a hint that you do not like him nor that you don't want to go out with him. Morpheus convinces you not to go and instead enjoy time with him and the two other people who care about you more than anything in the world. Needless to say, you lose yourself to them and indulge in their ministrations.

[slight-gaming-addict]

(Kicks the blog door)

Yes! Halloween event! So I won't miss my shot so I'll make my request:

Activity: trick or treat competition on who can get the most candy Characters: Deuce x Reader and Grim? I thought maybe the reader and Deuce would go on a Halloween date together and have a candy collecting competition but Grim crashes the date to get candy too >:D

If the idea doesn't convince you, you can discard it without any problems, take your time and without pressure, thank you. <3

🕸️ 2024 𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙 🕸️

༺☠༻ day 3 ༺☠༻

~ a friendly competition never hurt anyone ~

pairing: deuce spade x gn!reader; grim x reader (platonic)

warnings: mostly just fluff, competitive deuce, grim's a party crasher, cute grim tings, annoyed deuce

word count: 0.9k

event masterlist | main masterlist | ko-fi

sᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴛᴏᴏᴛʜ

Halloween is yours and Deuce's favorite holiday because of all the activities you're able to do together. Every year it's something different, whether it's a competition or a scavenger hunt—you always find yourselves doing something. Last year, it was a challenge to see who could come up with and make the most costumes in one night. Let's just say Deuce ended up with all his fingers wrapped in bandages from stabbing himself with a needle as he hurried to put the clothing together.

This year, you decided to go with something less dangerous for him—a little candy competition. You kept it simple: the rules were to go house to house and see who could get the most candy by the end of the night, without changing costumes or going back to the same houses for more candy.

"You ready?" you ask, meeting up with Deuce on the starting street. He opens his mouth to answer, but a voice behind you jumps in.

"Yeah, let's get this party started!" You both turn to see Grim standing there, grinning with a tiny bucket in his hand.

"What are you doing here, Grim?" you ask, crossing your arms over your chest, though you can't help but smile at him.

"I'm here to get my candy on, let's go!" he says, already moving toward the first house on the block. You shake your head and glance back at Deuce.

"You're babysitting," you call out to Deuce, already turning away from them.

"What?" Deuce shouts back, exasperated, clearly not planning on having Grim join his night.

You laugh and start running down the block to the first house. "Two hours start now!" you yell back, grinning as your candy-gathering journey begins.

Deuce scrambles after Grim, not wanting to waste any time, even if things didn’t go exactly as planned.

As they move from house to house, Deuce has to keep trying to stop Grim from sneaking candy out of his bucket, needing every piece he can get if he wants to win.

"Yours isn't even full yet," Deuce says, pushing the small creature away from his candy.

"Yeah, but I want some now, and I don't wanna eat from mine yet," Grim retorts, inching back toward Deuce's growing pile of candy.

Deuce pulls the bucket out of reach. "Don't you dare."

They spend the rest of the time going down the street, collecting candy while Deuce continues to fend off Grim's attempts to raid his stash.

As time passes, Deuce grows more annoyed as Grim persists, finding every opportunity to try and steal from his bucket. He's tempted to leave Grim somewhere and run off to collect more candy, but he knows you trusted him to watch over Grim. He doesn’t want to let you down, so he endures Grim's antics until the two hours are up.

Despite the circumstances, Deuce manages to fill his bucket fairly well while fending off Grim. However, as you walk back down the starting street, you realize that leaving Deuce with Grim may not have been the best idea when you see Deuce looking like he’s about to throw Grim through one of the house windows.

You jog over with your buckets of candy and quickly set them down before grabbing Deuce's arm to calm him down.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" you ask, trying to diffuse the situation. It’s not hard to figure out the issue, though—a bucket of spilled candy lies at Deuce's feet while Grim tries to cram as much as he can into his own tiny container.

You sigh, noticing the pure irritation on Deuce's face. You're starting to regret leaving him alone with Grim, knowing how much of a handful he can be.

"Grim, here," you say, stopping him from grabbing any more candy from the ground. You set one of your full buckets next to him, letting him dig through that instead.

Looking up at Deuce, you can still see the annoyance on his face. You feel bad for leaving him to deal with Grim and bend down to start picking up the leftover candy scattered around.

Deuce joins you, even though he's still clearly frustrated. "I'm sorry," you say softly as you place the last pieces of candy into his bucket. It's barely more than half full with what’s left. Some of the tension leaves his shoulders at your apology, and he glances over at you.

"It's alright," he replies, though you can tell he's still not fully okay. Instead of pushing him further, you stand up and hand him his bucket, suggesting you all head back to the house to watch some movies.

Deuce is disappointed with how the night turned out, but he agrees, not wanting things to end on a bad note.

As you walk back, you keep giving Grim candy, hoping he'll crash from the sugar overload. Sure enough, when you arrive home, Grim barely makes it onto the couch before he's fast asleep, surrounded by candy wrappers.

Deuce chuckles softly at the sight, and you grin, glad to see he's feeling a bit better. You cover Grim with a blanket and turn back to Deuce.

You check the time, seeing it’s still relatively early. "So, up for a rematch?" you ask. Deuce barely lets you finish the sentence before he's racing out the door to find more houses for candy. You shake your head, grinning, and run after him.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

buy me a coffee ♡

[blinkandyoumissit]

02 NOV 2024 | Joe at the Comic Creators Block Party signing event at Revenge Of in LA!

[covid-safer-hotties]

Your Rights to Wear a Mask in Public in Nassau County - Published Aug 14, 2024

Follow the link to help or take action!

Politicians across the country, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, have voiced support for enacting mask bans under the guise of stopping crime. On Long Island, Nassau County has already enacted a broad, overreaching mask ban. This comes as COVID-19 continues to surge and protestors face continued, unrelenting doxxing and targeted surveillance.

Here’s what you need to know.

Are there mask bans currently in effect in New York State? Nassau County’s “Mask Transparency Act” was signed into law on August 14, 2024 and went into effect immediately. Ballston Spa, a village near Albany, has passed its own mask ban targeting protestors. It remains legal to wear a mask or other face covering elsewhere in New York State.

Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have both publicly expressed support for enacting mask bans, and New York Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz introduced a statewide mask ban in May, but the bill has not yet proceeded through the legislature and is not in effect.

What types of face coverings or masks will be affected by this law? Nassau County’s mask ban language is vague and does not differentiate between medical masks like N95s, KN95s and surgical masks, and other types of masks or “facial coverings” including niqabs, burqas, wrapping a scarf or bandana around your face, and costume masks.

What is the penalty if I am arrested for wearing a mask? Violating Nassau County’s mask ban is considered a misdemeanor, and those arrested can be subject to a $1,000 fine, one year imprisonment, or both.

Is there an age restriction in the Nassau County mask ban? No, a person wearing a mask or other face covering of any age, including children, can be charged with a violation of Nassau County’s mask ban.

Can I be stopped by a police officer just because I am wearing a mask? In Nassau County, yes.

Officers are supposed to have “reasonable suspicion” that you are engaging in, or intend to engage in, criminal activity in order to stop you. However, Nassau may try to apply this broadly to include wearing a mask while driving, wearing a mask while gathering in a public place – such as a bus stop, block party, or protest – or knowingly allowing or helping people who are masked to gather in a public place.

Do I have to remove my face covering if an officer asks me to? Police cannot force you to take off your mask unless you are stopped in a vehicle or they have reasonable suspicion that you are engaging in or intend to engage in a criminal activity in Nassau County.

Can I be arrested just for wearing a mask in Nassau? Law enforcement officers need probable cause to arrest you – meaning they must have solid evidence based on objective circumstances that you have committed, are committing, or are about to commit a crime. However, Nassau’s broad bill language could allow police to interpret probable cause to include something as banal as wearing a mask while gathering in a public place – such as a bus stop, block party, or protest – or knowingly allowing or helping people who are masked to gather in a public place.

Are there exceptions for people wearing masks for health or religious purposes? Yes. The Nassau legislation states that it:

“…shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer, for religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event for which the wearing of masks or facial coverings are customarily worn.”

The “health and safety” exception applies only to those who are masking to protect their own health and safety, and does not apply to those who wear a mask solely to protect others. For example, someone who wears a mask for the sole purpose of protecting a family member who is immunocompromised from exposure to illness is not legally permitted to wear a mask in public under Nassau County’s mask ban. It also doesn’t allow those who are sick – with a cold or flu, for example – and may be contagious to wear a mask to protect others and prevent the spread of illness.

Law enforcement must respect the religious practices of everyone they come into contact with. If you wear a niqab or burqua, you should not be required to remove your religious garb unless absolutely necessary – for instance, should you be arrested, law enforcement can mandate your face is unencumbered if your photograph must be taken. If you are made to remove your niqab or burqa, you can request that you be able to do so in a private room with female officers, and where male officers are not present. Currently, Nassau County does not have codified policies governing how law enforcement must engage with people wearing religious garments such as niqabs and burqas, and decisions about religious head and face coverings are left to the discretion of the police department and sheriff’s office.

Do I have to prove my religious or health reasons for wearing a facial covering to law enforcement? No. Law enforcement cannot make you provide a doctor’s note proving your health reasons for wearing a mask, nor force you to disclose private health information.

They also cannot make you provide evidence of your religious affiliation or religious practices.

How can I fight back against mask bans? Get Involved and learn more:

Disability Rights NY Mask Bloc Long Island COVID Advocacy NY Jews for Mask Rights Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Find your local mask bloc Take Action No New Yorker should not have to fear that leaving home in a mask or face covering – whether for health, religious, or privacy reasons – could lead to harassment, intimidation, or arrest.

Tell lawmakers to reject mask bans and protect New Yorkers’ health, religious, and privacy rights.