#a couple of colleagues did that and were very successful

[spitefulfitness]

Most of my state is in a heat advisory and it was fine when I started walking, but once I switched to running it got too hot so I cut it at a mile. If it cools off this evening, I'll go for a longer walk to reach my step goal for today.

It's been two months since I last ran due to stress and medical stuff, but I'm glad to back up and (literally) running.

I started adding some yoga too to help my body recover and increase my mobility/flexibility. Ive also been trying to at the very least make it out every day to go for a walk until i reach 8000-10000 steps. I want to try some intermittent fasting but it's a little challenging when my part time summer job involves making catering orders 😬

Glad to be back with it, though! 😊

Sw:188.7

Cw. 181.5

Gw1: 175

Gw4: 145

[saintobio]

the perfect boyfriend, feat. l&ds xavier.

pairings. xavier, fem!reader genre. fluff, smut, established relationship, 18+ tags. petnames (bunny), jealousy, virginity loss, unprotected sex, cockwarming, slight dom/sub play, same timeline!xavier notes. he’s still my l&ds main until july 15th just kidding :’D i love xav sm he’s literally so bf material to me

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who had a hard time expressing his feelings the first time he met you. he used to be a man of a few words—or, as you liked to put it, a very nonchalant guy. it’s not that he’s disinterested. in fact, every small interaction he’d had with you lingered on his mind all night. you’re all he can think about until he finally had the courage to confess to you one day, after saving you from a bunch of wanderers, and thinking he’d almost lost you. again. he just couldn’t let that happen.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who always responds to your texts and calls right after you press send or hit the ring button. he values your time and doesn’t want you to feel ignored after that one particular incident… when he fell asleep the entire afternoon and his phone conveniently died, only to see a number of missed calls and text messages from you the moment he woke up. he felt really bad at how worried you got, so he made a promise to always keep himself available for you.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who enjoys hotpot, and has made it a habit to suggest dining at his favorite hotpot place after a successful mission. it’s not just the spicy broth that he loves about that place; it’s also your care in serving him and arranging ingredients in his bowl. you were such a dream girl to look at.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who gets very jealous whenever you’d talk about another male colleague of yours. he wouldn’t say it out loud, but the signs are there when he starts showing that cute, grumpy face. he becomes very competitive too, asking questions like, “so, did you enjoy your time with him?” or “do you usually talk to him a lot?” and you figured that the best way to cut him off during his fits of jealousy, is to squeeze his cheeks and give him a soft, tender kiss, swearing to him that you are his and his only.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who makes it a routine to take note of the way other couples interact. and he’s specifically observing the man more than the woman. he has a journal called, ‘how to make my girlfriend happy’ where he writes about what he would notice guys typically do to make their girlfriends smile and laugh. one time, while he was walking downtown, he passed by an arcade place that had a row of new claw machines. the guy managed to get his girlfriend a stuffed toy, and in seeing how much the girl liked it, xavier invites you the next day for a claw machine date, promising that he won’t stop until he gets you the bunny plushie you wanted.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who loves it when you call him ‘xavi’, both casually and… sensually. there’s something so sexy about hearing you say “xavi~” into his ear, especially when you’re leaning way too close to him that he can smell that sweet scent of yours.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier whose mind is as vast as the known universe. he enjoys talking about the cosmos, the galaxy, and the stars alike—sometimes, he’d even be poetic about it. and that’s why he got the nickname ‘galaxy kid’ from you. there are nights where you two would go to the rooftop, watching the stars while lying next to each other. for xavier, there’s nothing more peaceful than stargazing with the girl he adores.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who was extremely nervous on your first night, because you were his first the same way he was yours. he doesn’t want to seem inexperienced in the sex department, so he tried gathering learning resources prior to you spending the night over at his apartment. in his head, he had mental notes, a very explicit and detailed one, of the things he had to do to please you: 1) kiss you, stroke your hair, and lay you in bed 2) slowly undress you, continue kissing down your body, cup your breast, and trace your curves 3) spread your legs open, place his fingers on your clit, then play with your sensitive bud, gently insert a finger or two 4) deepen the kiss when you moan, guide your hand and make you stroke his length, while he pulls his fingers out and sucks his digits to taste you 5) make sure you’re all wet and aroused, place his swollen tip on your entrance carefully, bury his cock inch-by-inch and stop whenever it hurts you, then wait until you’ve adjusted before he starts rocking his hips back and forth. was it a success? of course! he had followed every step diligently.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who ended up asking for two more rounds after your first session. he thought he didn’t perform well the first time because he felt like you made him cum too fast. he just didn’t expect you to be that tight, like your pussy was swallowing his member, your velvet walls wrapping around his girth as if milking him of his cum. missionary was the perfect position to start, but for the second round, he insisted on letting you ride him so you’d find the rhythm you want. and boy, did he go crazy as he watched you move your hips so goddamn sensually. he couldn’t stop his hands from touching your body, kneading your tits, and squeezing your buttocks. “my beautiful girl,” he’d moan, half-lidded eyes staring straight into yours, “you’re so good at this, y/n.”

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who finally learned what fetish means after personally experiencing one of his own. it was waking up with his cock still buried deep inside your cunt, his arms protectively wrapped around your frame as you slept soundly. or were you already awake by then? he wasn’t sure, but he could feel your pussy clenching around his shaft and he couldn’t tell if you were doing it on purpose. but damn, isn’t that hot? he’d think to himself, with his member growing harder the more he thought about it. “my bunny’s so naughty.”

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who loves it when you pet his hair like a good boy. your hands are magical! he’d fall asleep in a blink of an eye when he’s laying on your lap and you’re running your fingers through his hair. during nighttime though, he’s an absolutely sucker for the more dominant version of you. the way you’d pull his hair, grab his chin, and even as far as playing with his aching member using the tip of your tongue. agh! you’re making him sin.

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who has a knack for giving you small gifts and trinkets, like that pretty little ribbon he saw at a store. or that moon-shaped desk lamp. or that pearl bracelet with a bunny charm. his girlfriend isn’t just sexy, she’s also cute. so she needs to have cute things!

⋆｡˚ ୨ৎ bf!xavier who treats you like a princess and makes sure you’re always warm and comfortable around him. too cold? he’d be sure to bring his hoodie for you. too hot? he’d buy you the best ice cream in town. whatever you wanted, he would get it. and he never, ever lets go of your hand whenever you two are walking around. he just can’t let you wander too far off, afraid that he won’t be able to protect you if he can’t see you. he adores you so much, and his heart swells at the mere thought of you. because there’s nothing more precious to him than the first and only girl he’ll ever love in this world. you.

[veryberryjelly]

gone to shit

pairing : jake peralta x fem!reader

prompt : "can i have one more hug?" "aw, babe you don't have to ask, c'mere..."

𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

your day had been going too well for it to continue.

you had gotten to your local coffee shop before it got too busy, gotten up to the bullpen without getting catcalled by some jackass outside and you and your boyfriend were the only ones in the office which was nice.

it was quiet and the first 30 minutes your day was spent sat opposite jake just talking until your friends and colleagues filtered in through the elevator.

and then everything came crashing down.

multiple people in the holding cell caused the bullpen to be filled with noise which was unsettling.

the coffee you had gotten this morning spilled over your desk and your lap.

your phone had died half way through a conversation with your sister and you knew she wouldn't appreciate it seeming like you hung up on her.

and you had misfiled some evidence and had to talk to holt to fix it.

you hoped he would be in a good mood so this wouldn't end up with you getting reamed out.

unfortunately that was not the case.

while he didnt yell you could sense the annoyance & slight disappointment in his tone as he told you do leave so he could deal with it.

and you did leave.

but instead of heading back to your desk you went to the evidence lock up, heading towards the back corner and sinking down onto the floor, the cool surface bringing you out of your head very slightly.

but it wasnt enough to stop the hot burning tears from falling from your eyes.

this wasnt something you should be getting so upset about, there were people in the world that had it a lot worse than you and here you were crying over the tiniest things.

just because they had happened in quick succession it felt so overwhelming.

you were way too in your own head to notice your name being called quietly into the room.

it was only when you saw a set of shoes infront of you that your attention was pulled from the spiralling thoughts in your head.

your hands instantly lifted to wipe at your cheeks to try and pass it off like you weren't crying.

" woah woah, hey. what's wrong, babe? "

the sound of jake's voice did not relax you as much as usual.

you shook your head, trying to shake off this awful tightness in your chest but that did nothing to calm jake's worry.

he crouched down beside you momentarily before sitting down next to you, knowing that his gaze on you could overwhelm you even further.

his arm dropped to around your shoulders and your head instantly dropped down onto the soft fabric of his hoodie.

" you wanna tell me why you're hiding in the evidence lock up ?" he asked, his fingertips running over the fabric of your shirt.

" everything was just going so well this morning and then i spilled my coffee, the holding cell is so full of jackasses, my phone died and then i misfiled some evidence... it all just went to shit "

his small motions on your shoulder were calming you slightly but not by much, your shoulders were still shaking and you couldnt bring yourself to take a full breath.

jake didn't reply for a few moments but his fingertips kept tracing shapes over your shoulder.

" ok, well these are all easy fixes. rosa has a charger in her desk she'll let you use, the holding cell is thinning out really quickly and you left a spare pair of jeans at my apartment a couple days ago and i brought them to give back to you, so you can change into those. "

how he managed to solve all of your problems so quickly you'll never know, but you were just so grateful.

you turned your body further into his, smiling softly when he wrapped his arm tighter around you and pressed a short kiss onto the top of your head.

" thank you "

" you're welcome, babe " he said quietly.

both of you remained sat on the floor of the evidence lock up for a couple more minutes before jake moved to stand and lead both of you back to the bullpen.

before he could take you outside you pulled him back by his hand, a soft and playful pout resting on your lips.

"can i have one more hug?" you asked, tilting your head back to look up at him.

a grin spread across his face.

"aw, babe you don't have to ask, c'mere..."

you quickly closed the two feet between the two of you and wrapped your arms around his torso, your head buried against his chest.

another 5 minutes were spent surrounded by weapons in boxes just hugging your boyfriend.

but when you returned to the bullpen, everything seemed a little bit better

[asphodelsandpomegranates]

Experiment 1-1-7-0 (Huggy Wuggy x Reader)

When you had received the plans on “Experiment 1-1-7-0”, you had spat out your tea and had called your boss, Dr. Laith Pierre. He had told you that it was by no means a joke and it was one of the most important experiments that they had envisioned. After more explanations from Laith, you had finally conceded and took full commitment into making “Experiment 1-1-7-0”. 

At least two dozen scientists, including yourself, were involved with the experiment. Many people had wanted the credit for this. You felt it was kind of silly as you weren't  hundred percent sure if it would work or not. 

A couple of months later, “Experiment 1-1-7-0” or Huggy Wuggy as you had named him, much to the other fellow scientist’s chagrin, had been a major success but there were a few adjustments that needed to be made. Huggy was extremely feral, obviously from some of the animal DNA that had been put into his body and had ended up being put into a steel reinforced glass cage to keep you and the others safe. 

But you weren’t scared of him. 

When you had started your first shift with the experiment, you had gone straight over to the cage where Huggy Wuggy sat, hunched over in a corner. With a little coaxing, you got Huggy out of his shell a little and have him trust you. 

One of the head bosses had noticed this and had given you a promotion and put you in charge of looking after Hugy Wuggy. You couldn’t have been happier. 

*************

Entering the basement of the factory, you made your way to the clocking machine and then straight to Huggy Wuggy’s cage. 

The large, blue furred creature was no longer slouched in a corner but lying on his left side at one side of the cage. You made your way round to that side of the cage and sat down with your legs tucked in to one side. 

You tapped your fingers gently against the glass that was encased with steel. Huggy Wuggy jerked a little in his sleep and blinked open his large dark eyes. He moved his crescent shaped head up towards you. 

“Morning, sweetie.” you cooed, wagging your fingers in a kind of wave. 

Huggy’s big red lips curled into a big smile and began to sit up a little. 

“Hey, boy. Did you sleep well?” 

Huggy made a loud chirping sound in response and began to shuffle a little closer to the glass wall that divided you. 

“Yeah, that’s great.” you said. “Have you had anything to eat yet?” 

Huggy shook his head in an innocent fashion that made him look adorable, considering the large beast that he was created to be. 

Looks could be very deceiving. 

“Okay, I’ll go and find someone to get your food. I’ll be right back, okay?” 

Huggy suddenly made a stage noise that sounded almost like a whimper. It made you halt as you began to get to your feet. The large furry creature was now pawing at the walls with his yellow glove-like paws. 

You stared at him, confused. Then it dawned on you. The only times he acted like this was when you left him after your shift ended. The poor creature often pawed at the glass wall and whimpered as you w9uld say your goodbyes to him. More to the point, Huggy would roar and claw wildly at his cage as you left and the noise would echo throughout the whole factory. One time, he had attacked one of your colleagues sending her to the hospital, all because he missed you. 

Now, the poor thing was thinking you were going to leave him again. 

“It’s okay, boy.” you reassured him.. “I won’t be gone long, I swear. Just to find someone and get your food. I’ll be back soon.” 

Huggy still continued to whimper but relented as you got to your feet and gently made your way over to a coworker. 

“Hey, Ross. Can you get me some food for Huggy?” 

“Sure. I’ll be about five minutes.” 

“Thank you.” 

You then made your way back to Huggy’s cage and typed in the key code: 56437. 

“Holding cell open.” came the automated voice and you stepped inside. 

The moment you stepped in, Huggy’s long limbed arms came around you and pulled you closer to him. Immediately, your ears were swamped with low purring. 

It still baffled you how such an odd creature like Huggy could be so sweet and caring?

You reached up and scratched the spot between his eyes, making the purring grow louder. 

(The End)

[crazycurly-77]

Games

Don't really know what possessed me to write this, but here it is. Have fun! 

After a hard and tiring case Tim, Tony, Abby and you were celebrating the successful completion in a cute little bar. Amazingly even Gibbs joined your round.

You had a lot of fun and at one point during the evening Tony discovered the little stage and the karaoke machine. So he suggested playing a game. You all cheered about this idea. The game you played was truth or dare and everybody agreed to play. 

To decide who's next Tony put an empty bottle in the middle of the table and spinned it around. 

Tim was the first to play and said “truth”. Abby laughed and cheered immediately and asked him “how do you like my new tattoo?” His head became a fiery red and he stuttered “it's hot.”

“Wheeee!!!” She was absolutely excited, which made even Gibbs laugh. He was sitting beside you and was very content about that, because he came to be able to spend a few nice hours with you outside of work. 

But that you didn't know. Sure, the two of you got along very well and in the last couple of months in which you were working with Abby the team became friends to you, but you developed tender feelings for the silver fox as well. 

That he developed deep feelings for you too was a fact and everybody saw his longing looks towards you, except yourself. You were busy with trying to hide your feelings and pining after him yourself. 

You laughed so hard because of Abby's lucky dance, that you nearly missed that the bottle had landed on Tony. With a mischievous grin he chose “dare”. “I see a karaoke machine on the stage. So I dare you to sing “Rock DJ” of Robbie Williams” Tim challenged him. 

Tony laughed and nodded saying “alright!” and walked towards the place of the upcoming desaster. He performed extremely good, but luckily he was good in his job. His singing had your ears nearly bleeding, but it was very funny. 

He came back to the table exhausted, panting heavily and laughing his ass off as you all did. Sitting down he grabbed the bottle and spinned it. 

Again you were lucky. Abby was next. “Truth” she said smiling widely. 

Tony grinned as only he could and then asked “do you and Tim have an affair?” 

She clapped her hands laughing again and yelled a loud “Yes! Sure!” 

Pour Tim became red as a tomato again and tried not to be seen. 

Gibbs only looked at him, but said nothing. In all the happiness the atmosphere was now a little tense, so Abby quickly took the bottle to lighten the mood once more. 

This time you had no such luck as previously. The bottle landed on you. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes and said “Dare”. 

Abby knew that you can sing, because you were sometimes singing when you were waiting for test results and she loved your voice. But she was the only one who knew of your talent. 

Secretly she planned on getting Gibbs and you together because of your feelings for one another and this game was her perfect chance to work on this project. So she dared you “you have to sing “Hallelujah” in the version of Rufus Wainwright.”

All were laughing and you shrugged your shoulders saying simply “okay.”

You entered the stage, went to the machine and put it off with the words “that I don't need” and you winked to the waiting people. 

Then you took a seat on the piano and began to play and to sing. You closed your eyes to feel the music as you sang and the whole room was silent. After the song ended and you stood to walk back to your colleagues your audience gave you standing ovations. 

Abby fell into your arms jumping up and down “I knew you would make it! And it was so wonderful! I love your voice!”

“Y/N! I didn't know you could sing. Why didn't you told me?” Tony pouted. 

You smiled “you didn't asked.”

Sitting beside Gibbs again he layed his hand on your shoulder and said “very good, Y/L/N. Should sing more often.”

He gave you such a warm and tender smile that your mind gone blank and your heart was racing in your chest. Could he hear and feel it beating so fast? 

The two of you were so captured in each other that you didn't noticed that Tony answered another question truthfully and now directed the bottle back to you. 

Nobody complained about that, because all of them wanted to hear more from you. 

“Me once again? You're kidding. But alright. What do you want to hear?” you asked laughing. Immediately Tony demanded triumphantly “Sitting on a dock of a bay” of Otis Redding!”

“Yeah!!!” was heared from all sides. 

“Good. So be it” you nodded and walked back to the stage. 

Again everyone was fascinated and excited. 

“You are a singer!! What are you doing in the lab?” Tim asked in earnest. 

Your cheeks burned “Thank you so much, but it's just a hobby of mine and I love what I'm doing professionally.”

So this was settled. 

Gibbs asked himself the same what Tim had asked you and he feared your answer, but there was nothing to fear. You wouldn't leave him, would you? 

Of course they said that you were the next again and before you could say anything Tim cheered “I love when you sing ballads. So please, I want to hear “Run” of Leona Lewis.”

That was a sad but wonderful song, because it gives courage. 

So you sang it and Gibbs had to swallow hard. You singing this song got absolutely under his skin, no matter what. 

Tim, Tony and Abby saw this and congratulated themselves. Their plan seemed to work. Sure, originally it was Abby's plan, but Tim and Tony decided to help her as they noticed what she tried. 

Tim was next, so you didn't have to spend the whole evening on stage. He had to drink a glass of beer in one go as he chose the dare. Tony came after him, made the same choice and had to drink a glass of rum. He coughed heavily, but finally he made it and cheered at himself and bathed in his triumph. 

“Now it's my turn!” he then yelled and spun the bottle again. And again you had bad luck, because it landed once more on you. 

“Why does it never land on Gibbs?” you murmured a little annoyed. 

“Because it has too much fear of him!” Tony laughed and nearly toppled over because of it. 

While all were laughing, this earned him a glare and a head-slap from the boss. 

But it didn't help, it was your turn, so you said confidentially “I'll stick with dare.”

Surely you had only to sing again…

…but no!!!

Abby sent you a mischievous grin and demanded “you have to kiss Gibbs.”

Your jaw dropped and you blanched of surprise. Then you gulped and kissed him on the cheek. Everyone was disappointed, but most especially him. For a moment he thought his dreams would come true and his heart was trying to jump out of his chest, but no. He only felt your lips that he wanted to taste so much on his cheek.

Your cheeks however burned of embarrassment. Your heart was racing and you feared his reaction, but he simply stared at you with his wonderful ice blue eyes. 

Then you spun the bottle. It landed on Abby. She chose dare and gave a really good performance of AC/DC's “Thunderstruck”. 

Your little break wasn't long before it was your turn again. This time you chose to tell the truth. So Tony took his chance, stared at you and asked “do you have a boyfriend currently?” 

Once again you turned red “actually not. No, I don't have a boyfriend or someone like that at the moment.”

Tony and most of all Gibbs were very pleased with your answer. 

Then you turned the bottle, but Abby manipulated it, so it landed on you once more. You sighed and said “dare”.

Tim spoke up and made a wish “I would like to hear “The Rose” of Bette Midler.”

Abby cried excited “Yes! Such a wonderful song. A really good choice.”

You rolled your eyes, but went smiling to the stage once again. You loved singing, but you were getting slowly tired of the game. And you had a feeling, that maybe the three of Tim, Tony and Abby were up to something. 

But okay, it was your turn. 

You walked to the micro and it was silent again. Everybody held their breath in anticipation of what would happen. 

You breathed deeply to calm yourself, closed your eyes and began to sing. 

You poured all your heart in the song to get the wonderful message to your audience and everyone listened to your voice. 

You were totally oblivious that Gibbs stood up totally mesmerized and slowly walked to you. The team gasped in astonishment, but he couldn't help himself. He felt like he was drawn magically to you and couldn't resist for the life of him. 

As you had finished the song you opened your eyes to find his blue ones directly in front of you. Without a word he cupped your cheek with one hand and your waist with the other and pulled you to him. 

He wanted to taste your lips so badly so he slowly closed the distance between you and kissed you softly and tenderly. Breaking the kiss after a short while he kissed you lovingly on your forehead too, turned and walked back to your table. 

You stood there unable to move, think or do anything. What was that? Out of the blue your boss kissed you! The only thing in your mind was the word “wow!” 

After you collected yourself you went back to your table too, where you were met with three widely grinning faces and ice blue eyes which followed your every move over the edge of a beer glass. 

Sitting again next to Gibbs you took a sip from your own beer and then laughed “now it's MY turn to turn the bottle!” 

You grabbed it and instantly a hand was laid on yours. Holding your hand Gibbs turned the bottle at himself. He locked eyes with you and stated “it's my turn and I'm choosing the dare. But it's actually not a dare, but an honor.”

Everyone wondered and waited for what he was going to do, but he didn't care about the audience. He simply pulled you gently to him and kissed you hard and deeply to get his message to you and to stake his claim. 

Neither of you were able to grab a thought or say a word after this world turning kiss. You two were in your own world and forgot all your surroundings, co-workers inclusively. 

It took Tony to bring you both back to reality. He clapped Gibbs on the shoulder and winked saying “you should go and take a room.”

Instead of glaring at him, Gibbs grinned widely and murmured to you “for once he's right. Come on, Y/N. Let's go!” 

Under the cheering, clapping and laughing of your colleagues the two of you left the bar to celebrate the beginning of your life together.

The End

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Here you will find the other stories I've written to date.

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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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[666writingcafe]

Questions (NB 14A)

A Side Chapter That Takes Place During Diavolo and MC's Impromptu Vacation After The Kingsblood Crucible

Slight NSFW Content Warning

I should have known this was coming. We've pretty much exhausted all other topics of conversations during our time here at the villa. Still, I didn't expect him to broach the subject so...abruptly. We were simply sitting outside and watching the sunset when he glances over at me and states calmly,

"So, you've fucked my butler." I nearly choke on my drink.

"I-Is that a bad thing?" I ask, setting it on the table between us.

"Not necessarily. I just want to know how it happened. He's normally not one to indulge in such pleasures." I pull up my text conversation with Barbatos on my D.D.D. and show it to Diavolo. He gently takes the phone away from me as he reads that particular string of texts between the two of us. When he finishes, he hands the phone back to me.

"I didn't realize you were attracted to each other," he remarks.

"He's a nice-looking man."

"That's all?" I nervously swallow.

"Well...we've managed to bond over metal music in both timelines. In fact, it's what led to it happening the first time."

"Really?" I nod, proceeding to tell him about the events leading up to and after the Severa concert I went to with my version of Barbatos.

"I see," he responds once I'm finished. "The main reason that I asked is because I've noticed Barbatos growing more attached to you. His scent's grown a lot stronger since your arrival, to the point where it seems as though he's not trying as hard to hide it as he once did." He briefly pauses before adding,

"It's also beginning to overpower yours, which is a bit of a shame. You smell nice." Out of context, this would be very creepy, but I know his comment is innocent enough.

"Is he this territorial over you in your timeline?"

"Not usually," I answer. "He was pretty handsy before the concert, but I think that's only because he felt like he could get away with it in that context, if that makes sense." Diavolo nods his head.

"He likes keeping his professional life separate from his personal." We each take sips out of our drinks. "So, obviously Solomon and you are like an unofficial married couple, but what's your relationship like with the others? Is it similar to what you have with Barbatos, or do you merely see them as friends and colleagues?" I swallow nervously. Having the future king of the Devildom wanting to know this aspect of my life is nerve-racking, to say the least. Would he think less of me after this?

"Well...to put it simply, I'm a wee bit of a whore when it comes to them." Diavolo hums lightly in response.

"Wouldn't have pegged you as the type."

"I didn't use to be, but then the exchange program happened, and as I got to know everyone, feelings naturally began forming, and one thing led to another, resulting in me wanting to engage in those activities more and more often."

"Interesting. Is there anyone in particular that you feel the most drawn to?"

"There's three."

"Including Solomon?" I nod my head. "And the other two?"

"Well...there's Lucifer." Another hum, this one deeper and more drawn out. As if he's displeased.

"That's always been a bit of a sore subject between us," I tell him. "In fact, I think that's part of why we really didn't get along at first. I felt like you were taking advantage of him, and you thought that I was taking him away from you." Diavolo sighs.

"Lucifer...he means a lot to me. He's unlike anyone I've ever met, which makes me all the more attracted to him. But even if I'm successful in implementing my goal of uniting the three realms, I doubt there would ever come a time where I'd..." He trails off, appearing to collect his thoughts.

"At the end of the day, I have to consider who'd be fit to rule by my side, and even if I didn't have to abide by tradition, I just don't think he has it in him to be able to do it successfully." Well, this is interesting. I was under the impression that he'd marry Lucifer in a heartbeat if he could. He certainly acted that way in my timeline.

"You seem confused," Diavolo observes. "Is the relationship I have with Lucifer that much different where you come from?"

"In a word, yes." He sighs again.

"The biggest problem is the mark. Its influence is making him act increasingly subservient towards me, and I want my future partner to feel like they're equal to me. If I'm being stupid, I'd want someone to tell me that and help me change my behavior. That wouldn't be possible if I'm constantly surrounded by yes men.

"As it is, it's difficult to find objective people. They're either too afraid or too enamored to stand up to me. My father used that to his advantage. I won't make that same mistake."

"I see." I'm a bit surprised that he's being so open about all this. I mean, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone, not even when I get back home, but still. My Diavolo and I have never been able to get this close. We've had deep conversations, sure, but never about this.

"So, Solomon and Lucifer. Who's number three?" I find myself hesitating to answer. It's not that I don't want to; I'm simply too nervous about his potential reaction to be able to form words.

"It's okay, MC. Just move your head. Sound good?" I nod.

"Is it a member of royalty?" Nod.

"Is it someone from the House of Lords?" Shake.

"Is it one of their servants?" A confused shake.

"We generally treat them as part of the royal family," he explains. "After all, they help ensure that things run smoothly for us." Nod.

"Is it someone that I'd know?"

"Kind of?" Oh, so now my mouth decides to work. Diavolo tilts his head and studies me. A couple minutes later, he gets up from his chair and walks over to me. Leaning over me, he gently lifts my chin up so that I'm looking directly into his eyes.

"Is it me?" His voice is much huskier than it was before, making my heart begin racing. I'm afraid to tell him the truth, but I also know that he's going to see right through whatever lie I tell him.

Might as well be honest with him. It'd be better than the alternative.

"Yes." He smiles softly.

"Good."

Good?

Diavolo's lips touch mine, causing my brain to shut off momentarily. He's pleasantly warm. Makes me all tingly inside.

Even though the kiss doesn't last very long, I still find myself slightly out of breath when he pulls away.

"Strange," he whispers, taking a step back to give me space.

"What?"

"I thought that would have satisfied my curiosity, but I..." Is he getting nervous?

"You were curious about me?" He nods.

"After I first told you about my trial, I had a vision. It appeared as a brief flash of color at first, but when I was able to focus on it, it showed you and me sitting beside each other on thrones. Your behavior at the Kingsblood Crucible proved to me that you'd be more than capable of ruling alongside me, but then I began wondering how we'd even get to that point in the first place. If the House of Lords didn't like me allowing the seven brothers to live here, then in what world would they accept me marrying a human?"

"That hasn't stopped you from broaching the subject before."

"I figured as much, but I still wanted to know why."

"And?" Diavolo takes a deep breath.

"You taste ridiculously sweet. It's awoken something in me, and I find myself wanting more. In fact, it's making it increasingly harder to concentrate on anything else."

Oh. Is this how the others feel about me? It'd certainly explain some of their behavior towards me; I'm like a drug to them. Whether it's due to my powers, my ancestry, or something else entirely, I'm not sure.

But that's not really that important right now.

"Do you want me to enable you, or stop you?" I ask Diavolo.

"I...I don't know." A blush develops on his face, and he suddenly seems unable to look at me. I'm not used to seeing this side of the prince, but I can't say I mind it. It's rather adorable.

"Do you trust me enough to make the decision for you?" He nervously swallows before nodding his head, and I get up from my chair and stand in front of him. Standing on the tips of my toes makes me just tall enough for me to kiss Diavolo.

The next thing I know, I'm sitting in his lap as we practically devour each other. At least that's something that stays consistent across time and space.

I'm sure both of us are going to be littered with marks by the time we're done.

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr, @tenkobitch, @interconnectedmatrix

[movedtone0mile]

the perfect hostess

60s AU 

husband!Jaehyun x housewife!F!reader

feat Johnny and Taeyong

warnings: 60s gender roles, mention of alcohol, johnny and taeyong are attracted to Y/N, smut, minors dni!!! bad english from a french person (blame grammarly), probably anachronisms idk how folks talked in this period but you ain’t reading this for historical accuracy.

word count: 3.5K

AN: I tried something new ok, I addressed Y/N as “she” rather than “you”, tell me if you have a preference, but I’m not a big fan of this formula (“she” sounds more repetitive to me for some reason and I had to use  ”Y/N”  a lot more which I know can bother some people)

summary: Jaehyun loves his wife, she's lovely, pretty and most importantly: the perfect hostess. So when he invites his co-workers Johnny and Taeyong over, he's pleased to see that they all envy his marriage.

Jaehyun and Y/N could not be a happier couple. They lived in a well-furnished suburban house, Y/N was a dedicated housewife and Jaehyun was a successful businessman. He worked hard to provide for his family, but always found time to enjoy his wife’s company, despite his busy schedule. Oh Y/N was certain she made the best match in town. 

Jaehyun was very much in love with his wife, and always looked forward to coming home to her after a long day at work. Y/N, on her side, admired Jaehyun's work and dedication to what he did. She loved hearing about his work projects and the challenges he faced. So when Jaehyun suggested this dinner with his colleagues, she was happy to accept. “It sounds like a great idea darling.”

He nodded excitedly. “Yes, I would be delighted if you met them.” Walking behind her, he blew air on her exposed neck, making her shiver. “And it would also be an opportunity for me to show off your fantastic cooking skills.” 

Y/N couldn't help but chuckle at his compliment. "Well, I'd love to have them over. How many are we talking about?"

“Just a few. Two, maybe.” Jaehyun said. “I would not want the whole office to think that I am their friend. I have to maintain some kind of hierarchy, you know.” 

"I'll start planning the menu then," Y/N replied, already thinking about the dishes she could prepare.

“Well, we are not in a hurry..” Jaehyun kissed her neck, down to her clavicles and Y/N gripped the counter as she sighed. 

꧁ ♡ ꧂

Dinner was scheduled for Friday, and as the end of the week approached, Y/N's excitement grew, and she spent her week focusing on making sure everything was perfect. She was both impatient and anxious. She was determined to make a good impression. 

On the morning of the dinner, Y/N woke up early, eager to get started on the preparations. She took extra care in selecting the ingredients for the meal, making sure they were fresh and of the highest quality. She meticulously cleaned and arranged the dining room, preparing the house for the arrival of Jaehyun and his colleagues. Then, she spent hours in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. 

In the evening, she heard the sound of keys turning in the lock, accompanied by a bunch of husky voices. The men arrived promptly at the agreed-upon time, Jaehyun insisted on not making his wife wait. 

When they walked through the door, Y/N rushed out of her apron and into the lobby. 

The two men putting their jackets on the coat rack were very handsome. The former threw her a bright smile, to which she responded shyly, meanwhile, the other was taller than Jaehyun and had sharp eyes. Hers dropped to the floor, and she did not dare to hold eye contact with him. 

“Don’t mind her, she can be a bit shy.” Jaehyun chuckled. 

His soft smile managed to ease his wife a little, and she eventually welcomed their guests with a warm demeanour. Jaehyun introduced Y/N to the two men, who she now recognized as Taeyong and Johnny. Jaeyhun had insisted on her calling them by their first names, but she did not feel comfortable enough yet.

Y/N led her guests to the dining room, where they were met with a beautifully set table and the delicious smell of the food she had prepared. Jaehyun followed closely behind and the group settled in around the table. 

꧁ ♡ ꧂

Y/N came back from the kitchen, holding a platter of steaming hot lasagna in her hands. She felt a surge of nervous excitement when she set it in the centre of the beautiful spread she had laid on the table her husband and his colleagues were seated. “I hope you all like lasagna.”

Jaehyun looked up at her with a grin. “I am sure it will be perfect, love.”

Johnny and Taeyong took in her elegant dress and overall stunning appearance and smiled. She felt her cheeks flush under their gaze, not used to receiving the attention of men who weren’t her husband. 

“Thank you for having us over, Y/N.” Taeyong said, his voice smooth. “It looks absolutely delicious.”

Johnny nodded in agreement, his eyes still fixed on his friend’s wife. “Yeah thanks for having us. You look beautiful, by the way.”

Jaehyun arched an eyebrow and Y/N, flattered, muttered a small “thank you”. 

As they started to dig into the lasagna, Y/N watched the men anxiously, waiting for their reaction. She needn’t have worried though. 

“This is amazing, Y/N,” Taeyong said between bites. “You are a fantastic cook.”

“I have to say, Jaehyun, you’re lucky to have such a talented wife.” His colleague added. 

Jaehyun’s eyes narrowed at the comment, curious about where this was going. 

Y/N, on the other hand, was simply relieved that her efforts had paid off. 

The dinner progressed and Jaehyun, Johnny and Taeyong found themselves drawn into a conversation about business -probably to avoid the elephant in the room. They discussed challenges they faced, other co-workers and business strategies.

Y/N, noticing the intensity of the conversation, couldn’t help but feel a little left out. She had always been proud of her husband’s success in his field, but she had little interest in it.

As the conversation continued, she excused herself from the table, taking their now empty plates with her. The technical jargon and strategic planning were a bit too much for her, and she felt a little out of place. She retreated to the kitchen to clean up a bit and finish preparing dessert. 

Jaehyun had noticed her discomfort. He had realized that the conversation had become a little too technical and business-oriented for her liking. He did feel a twinge of guilt for not including her more, but he needed her out in order to discuss the matter he wanted to discuss with the men at the table.

He hadn’t even need to bring the subject up by himself, as after a moment of awkward silence, Johnny spoke up. “Jaehyun, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you are very lucky to have a wife like yours.”

Taeyong nodded in agreement. “It is hard not to be drawn to her…”

“I can see why you’re so crazy about her man.” the taller man pursued, sipping on his wine. 

At first, Jaehyun had felt a twinge of jealousy. He loved Y/N more than anything in the world, and the thought of anyone else showing interest in her would usually upset him. But right now, he found the situation quite amusing. In fact, he felt a strange sense of pride that his wife could be so appealing to other men. It was proof of how wonderful she was, and he couldn’t help but feel a little smug about the fact that he was the one to have you. 

 “She is quite amazing, right?”

Taeyong and Johnny both nodded, their eyes lingering on the kitchen door, where Y/N had disappeared. 

“You guys seem to be really interested in Y/N.” Jaehyun said, looking directly at them. 

Taeyong and Johnny exchanged a glance before Johnny spoke up again.

“I told you, and I told her, I won’t deny that she is a very attractive woman,” he said “but we would never do anything to jeopardize your marriage, I hope you know that. We are friends after all.”

Jaehyun took a sip of his drink before responding. 

“I am very lucky to have her, indeed.”

Setting down his glass, he stood up, “Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen. I need to check on my wife.” and made his way to the kitchen to find her. 

When he found her, Y/N was arranging the plates for dessert. He could see the tension in her shoulders and got closer. 

“Are you okay darling?”

She jumped when she noticed him, looking up. “Yes, I’m fine don’t worry.”

Putting his head on her shoulder, he waited quietly for her to be honest, as he always did, and it had always worked. 

“I feel a little out of place with all that business talk.” She admitted. “I don’t understand all those technical terms, and I feel like I don’t belong in the conversation…”

He wrapped his arms around her before apologizing: “I am sorry Y/N. I should have made sure you were included.”

“It’s okay. I know it’s important to you, and I want you to know that I am proud of you and all of your accomplishments.” With that, she turned around and leaned in to kiss him softly. 

Jaehyun helped Y/N carry all the plates when they both emerged from the kitchen. Y/N apologized for her absence and, now in better spirits she was ready to be attentive to all of her guests’ needs, making sure they had everything they needed and that their glasses were always full. She engaged in lively conversations, in which they seemed very interested, and quickly found herself enjoying their company. She was grateful for the opportunity to get to know her husband’s colleagues and friends better. 

However, as they chatted and laughed over dinner, Jaehyun couldn’t help but notice the way that Taeyong and Johnny paid his wife extra attention. They both leaned in when she spoke, their eyes never leaving her. It was as if they were both competing for her attention. 

Even though Y/N enjoyed both of their companies, her impressions of Johnny and Taeyong were quite different. 

Taeyong was very charming, and she already grew acquainted with his infectious laugh. She found herself giggling at his jokes and feeling an odd flutter in her stomach when he shot her a smile. He was attentive, engaging and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. There was something about him that was hard to resist.

On the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by Johnny’s presence. Something about him made her feel strange. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, with his intense gaze and easy smile, or maybe it was the way he seemed to effortlessly dominate the conversation, his every word commanding attention, even from her husband. 

However she felt, she felt a little guilty for feeling this way. After all, they were colleagues and friends of Jaehyun’s, but she couldn’t help it. 

Jaehyun could see the way that Y/N was flustered by all the attention she was receiving, the proud feeling lingering. It was somehow gratifying to see others recognize the woman he had chosen to dedicate his life to, and he could tell that she enjoyed it as well. In the end, he knew he had nothing to worry about, Y/N loved him just as much as he loved her. He still made a mental note to keep an eye on the situation though. 

As they finished dessert and coffee, the conversation turned to more lighthearted topics. Y/N told a funny story about her parents’ dog, and Johnny shared hilarious anecdotes from his trips, which contrasted a bit with the cold first impression he made on Y/N. Taeyong laughed along with them, his eyes lingering on Y/N whenever he thought she wasn’t looking. 

The dinner drew to a close and Y/N felt a sense of satisfaction wash over her. She had succeeded in making the evening a success, and her guests had enjoyed themselves. She knew that Jaehyun would be pleased as well, and that thought was enough to make her happy. 

Jaehyun thanked his colleagues for coming and walked them to the door. 

Before they could say their goodbyes, Jaehyun could not fight the urge to take Y/N by the waist, lean in and kiss her. He knew he didn’t have to be scared of his guests, and jealousy had been replaced by something else throughout the night, but Jaehyun still somehow felt like he had something to prove. 

Heat rushed to Y/N’s cheeks. She was pleased with her husband’s display of affection, but she was surprised he would do this in front of his co-workers. Placing his hands on the small of her back, Jaehyun deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. 

Johnny and Taeyong watched them with envy from the front door, feeling a bit jealous of the loving couple in front of them, as they were both unmarried. He felt their burning gazes on him, but all Jaehyun could focus on was the way his wife melted into his kiss, her hands gripping his arms. 

Johnny cleared his throat, trying to break the tension, “Well, we should probably get going.” 

The couple untangled from each other, Y/N still a bit dazed by her husband’s action. 

Taeyong nodded, his eyes still fixed on Y/N, “Yes, it is getting late.” 

“Well, goodnight guys,” Jaehyun said, his voice light, and smile smug. “Thanks for coming over.”

“It was nice to meet you.” Y/N added politely. 

Both men reluctantly tore their gaze away from Y/N, and as they made their way to the sidewalk, they couldn’t help but daydream about what it would be like to be in Jaehyun’s shoes. 

꧁ ♡ ꧂

When they left and the couple was finally left alone, Jaehyun pulled his wife close. 

“You did an amazing job tonight Y/N,” he declared, wrapping his strong arms around her. 

She smiled back at him, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. “Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed it,” she said, snuggling into his embrace. 

“I knew you would be the perfect hostess. Thank you for making this evening so special.” He whispered, his breath hot on her skin. “Let me thank you as you deserve.”

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her one more time. This time, it was a gentle, tender kiss. Y/N felt a warm feeling spread through her chest and wrapped her arms around Jaehyun’s neck. They stood there for a long moment, lost in the feeling of each other’s lips, before Jaehyun decided to lead Y/N to the living room, loosening his tie in the process. 

Once there, he pushed her gently to sit on the couch and kneeled in front of her on the ground. With his hands, he began to stroke her legs, Y/N shivered as Jaehyun’s fingers went up from her ankles to the inside of her thighs. He took one of her feet and placed it on his shoulder, he then proceeded to take off the heels she was wearing, his eyes intensely looking into hers. 

“You have worked so hard today. You deserve a rest.”

Y/N sighed, getting more and more relaxed, and Jaehyun released her right leg to repeat his action on the left one, leaving a few kisses here and there. 

With his wife’s shoes off, Jaehyun got up and took place next to her, where he got her to sit on his lap. Y/N placed her hands on his shoulders, waiting for his next move, but Jaehyun was taking a moment to observe her face. 

Her lips always offered him the brightest smile when he came home, her cheeks lit up with a pink shade when he complimented her, and her eyes were always the ones to betray her emotions, whenever she did not dare to speak up. 

“I love you so much.” He murmured. 

“Oh, Jaehyun..” Y/N leaned in to connect their lips with a new fervour. She cradled his face in her hands and pushed her chest onto his. Jaehyun’s hands travelled from her neck to the collar of her dress and began to unbutton it, exposing more and more of her skin. Pulling the dress down her shoulders, he attached his lips to it and grabbed her thighs to fumble them. Y/N let out a moan and he took advantage of her open mouth to slide his tongue inside of it. Her hands went to his hair and began to mindlessly tug on his locks. “Would you let me take it off?” He asked sweetly, tugging on the fabric. Y/N nodded in agreement and got up on her feet before dropping her dress to the floor. 

Jaehyun admired his wife’s body for a moment before motioning her to join him on the couch. “You know, you’ve made quite an impression tonight.”

Y/N smiled, pleased with Jaehyun’s satisfaction. “Thank you, I hope they liked my cooking.” Jaehyun chuckled and she frowned, apprehensive. 

“They’ve liked more than that darling.” He laid her down under him on the sofa and went back to kiss her neck, an enigmatic smile on his face. 

Y/N sighed, but curiosity about what he had just said prevented her from enjoying his gestures to the fullest. Feeling her tense, Jaehyun straightened, looking into her eyes for any kind of discomfort. 

“Jaehyun, what do you mean “more than that”?” 

With a raise of his eyebrows, he grinned, again. “Oh, how can I tell you that, love? You know Johnny and Taeyong aren’t married, and I think tonight you made them quite envious of our life together.” 

“Really?” Y/N asked, worried. She never meant to make them uncomfortable or for them to feel unhappy with their own situation.  

“Well, it is not our marriage that they envy the most.” He went down to whisper in her ear. “It is you.”

Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“They are very attracted to you darling. But how could I blame them? You are indeed the most beautiful woman one’s ever laid their eyes on.”

She looked at him sceptically. “Well, I am flattered, but I think you are just teasing me Jaehyun.”

“Believe me, Y/N.” he said, “They told me.”

Confusion and embarrassment washed through Y/N as she processed what she had just heard. Was he angry? Should she apologize? Was it going to change something at work? 

Catching the glimpse of concern in her eyes, he answered her muted questions, “Don’t worry my love, I am not mad. In fact, I understand them very much.”

His lips went back to her chest, as he began peppering kisses along her breasts and belly, and Y/N tried to push the thought of her husband’s colleagues being attracted to her to the side and focus on his touch. 

“Jaehyun, we should go to the bedroom.” Y/N sighed, her breathing already unsteady. 

Jaehyun’s hand reached to her chest and took her breasts out of her bra’s cups. “I am too impatient for that Y/N.” He began to suck on one of her breasts and fumble the other, making her shiver and whine under him. “Please, let’s do it here.” 

When she gave him her agreement, chuckling about how adventurous he was being tonight, his fingers travelled between her legs and he began to touch her through her underwear. 

As his fingers continued their ministrations, Y/N threw her head back and started to thrust her hips thoughtlessly, moaning the name of her lover over and over.

Jaehyun got up on his knees, unbuttoned his shirt and Y/N ran the tip of her fingers on his chest and arms as he dropped the fabric. She gave little pecks on his shoulders as he fumbled with his belt, to take off his pants. Eventually, he succeeded and got out of his trousers. Jaehyun slid Y/N’s panties down her legs and placed his body between them. 

One of his hands, next to Y/N’s head, steadied him, while the other held one of her thighs. Y/N gripped the sofa’s cushions as Jaehyun entered her heat, a long moan resounding. She gritted her teeth and they both waited for the uneasy feeling of stretching to disappear. Jaehyun stroked her cheek affectionately, as he peppered kisses on her face to ease her through the pain. 

When pleasure got the better of discomfort, Y/N gave a nod of her head to her husband and he began to thrust into her. 

Y/N whined and Jaehyun bit his lip, he was always reluctant to be noisy when they slept together. He started off slow at first, but his speed gradually increased and he took hold of both of her thighs to hit deeper. Pleasure rushed to his head and he began to hit harder.

“Jaehyun, it’s- it’s too much! Slow down!” Y/N cried out. 

He stopped his movements, realizing he had been lost in the euphoria of the moment and had gone too far. He cradled his wife’s face in his hands and peppered kisses on it. “I am deeply sorry darling, I- you feel too good…” 

“It’s okay, just… keep moving..” Y/N said before giving him a kiss.

Jaehyun resumed his thrusts and watched Y/N’s chest rise from the sofa, as her back arched, with self-sufficiency. His muffled groans also grew louder, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep quiet. 

Y/N was overwhelmed with the pleasure he was providing her, and her moans grew louder and louder. She felt the coil in her belly tighten and Jaehyun’s movements became sloppy and uneven. Her grip on his neck tightened, and her nails, planting onto his flesh, would certainly leave marks in the morning that would stay for a few days. 

Y/N’s eyes teared up, as a wave of pleasure washed through her and they both came together. With a low groan, Jaehyun embraced her and released his load in a final thrust. Y/N snuggled in his hug as heat filled her up, and she felt all of his love wrap around her.  

Jaehyun had come inside, but he and Y/N were still trying for a baby after all.

[yetanothersparrowofthedawn]

River

Masterlist

Word Count: 1.6k

Pairing: Jake x Reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt, ex!Jake

Synopsis: Jake hasn’t healed even months after his ex-girlfriend Y/N said ‘I do’ to another man. After one night of desperately trying to hold onto Y/N, will he get back the woman he loves, or was it all nothing but a mistake?

For a bit of context while I try and write what came before: Y/N is a super successful singer-songwriter although it’s not super relevant in this chapter. She has been close friends with the members of Greta Van Fleet, for several years. She had a tumultuous yet terribly passionate relationship with Jake that ended not very well (you’ll see), although they eventually figured out how to remain on good terms for everybody’s sake.

Disclaimer: English isn’t my native language, so I apologize in advance for mistakes and awkward wordings to come. Also, I guess this fic could be triggering for some because it’s kind of sad and angsty.

Previous Track: Prayer Factory

Chapter soundtrack : River – Joni Mitchell

Oh, I wish I had a river,

I could skate away on.

I wish I had a river so long,

I would teach my feet to fly.

Christmas music was playing softly in the warmth of the Styles household. The young couple had decided to host a Holiday party together for their close friends in their newly purchased London home. Kids were running around everywhere, stuffing their face with appetizers, while grown-ups were enjoying more than a few glasses of wine around the crackling fireplace, or in the sitting room.

Alright let’s get into this,

--

Harry, however, was busy looking around for his wife with a frown on his face. He had barely seen her since the arrival of the first few guests.

“Hey, do you know where my beautiful wife might be?” he asked his sister.

Indeed, the hostess was still in the master bathroom upstairs. Far from the picture of holiday spirit, she was sitting on the tiled floor, with her arms wrapped around her knees, surrounded by a pile of tissues and mascara running wildly down her cheeks.

“I’m not sure, although she did tell me she was going to the loo earlier.”

--

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” she whispered, for what felt like the hundredth time, as she heard footsteps heading in her direction. She took some more toilet paper to blow her nose, jumping slightly as she heard a soft knock on the door.

“Y/N? Come out, love, everyone’s here,” she heard her husband say.

She got up, flinching as she looked at her reflection. God, she really looked like shit, “Um, you should go back down, I'll be right behind you, I’m just touching up my makeup”, she said, hoping Harry wouldn’t be able to notice the shakiness of her voice.

“Are you okay?” he asked, clearly worried.

“Of course, I am” she answered. She was relieved to hear him walk back downstairs.

“Ah, there she is!” everyone cheered upon seeing her walk down the split staircase, her silky dress flowing beautifully behind her and her makeup opaque enough to hide any previous meltdown.

Of course, I am, she thought. Was she really, though? Definitely not. She quickly put all her mess into the tiny bin, before starting to work on her hair and face. Just get through tonight, she thought, just tonight.

--

“Sorry I kept you waiting. You know I love making an entrance,” she giggled, trying to hide her nervousness behind a sparkly smile. No one seemed to notice anything wrong as she went around the room, greeting everyone one by one, cracking a quick joke here and there.

Most of the guests were Harry’s friends and colleagues, but Y/N didn’t mind that much, she understood London wasn’t exactly an ideal location for most of her friends. Plus, she had gotten rather close to her husband’s inner circle. It didn’t quite feel like family just yet, but it would come, or at least that’s what she hoped.

“You look a bit pale sweetheart,” Harry’s agent told her laughing, “here, have a drink it’ll loosen you right up”.

Y/N hesitantly took the champagne flute he was holding out to her, mumbling a quick ‘thank you’ and excusing herself before heading to the empty reading room. She let out a sigh of relief as she heard the door close behind her, shutting any noise out.

She loved that room; it was always so quiet and cozy. The walls were covered in her favorite books, and the grand piano was almost buried under a mountain of sheet music and song drafts, both hers and Harry’s. The back wall, however, was very neatly organized. It was where they had decided to place their award shelves.

Without even realizing, she approached one award in particular. It was her second Grammy, which she’d gotten a few years prior. Next to it was a picture taken at the ceremony’s after party. She grabbed it gently, a sad smile spreading her face. It was of her with Josh, Danny and Jake. Sam had taken it while in his disposable camera phase.

She brushed her thumb across Jake’s face, her throat drying up, before shifting her attention back on the glass in her hand. She contemplated the idea of downing it in one swift movement. God knew she needed a drink. But she wasn’t sure it would be wise.

Screw it.

She weakly brought the glass up to her lips but was interrupted as she heard the door open and footsteps approaching from behind her.

“You look beautiful,” Harry whispered in her ear. He laid a soft kiss on her exposed shoulder and wrapped one arm around her waist, his hand landing on her stomach. She stiffened at the sensation. “Are you okay?” he asked, genuine worry on his delicate features.

“Yeah, I’m good, don’t worry,” she answered, smiling, delicately setting the frame back onto the shelf.

But her husband wasn’t fooled, he could feel that something was going on. Truth was, something had been going on for a while. Y/N had been distant, and quiet, very different from the sunny and bubbly girl he’d married less than a year prior. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her to open up to him. He was worried his job had started taking a toll on their marriage, since YN’s strange behavior had started when he’d come back from a press tour to promote his new album. Then again, Harry knew she had herself been working on some projects and even spent a couple days with her friends in Barcelona while he was away, so she’d always kept busy.

“Are you sure?” he insisted.

“Just tired,” she hummed, absent-mindedly, “who would’ve thought hosting Christmas would be so stressful?”

But Harry wasn’t satisfied with his wife’s answer “Love, you look-”

She gently slid out of his arms and walked towards the arched window; it was pouring outside. “I told you I’m fin-”, but they were both cut off by a strong voice coming from the foyer.

“Alright everyone, picture time!”

The reading room was suddenly silent for a few seconds, neither of them wanting to argue, neither of them knowing what to do or say. Y/N was the first to move, setting her glass down on the windowsill and walking past him and towards the exit.

“Y/N-” he sighed, his eyes never leaving her figure.

“You heard them,” she answered, smiling sadly back at him, “it’s picture time.” She quickly vanished behind the mahogany doors.

Harry was left alone in the study, with nothing to listen to but his own thoughts. He couldn’t understand what had been going on. Out of curiosity, he glanced at what Y/N was holding when he’d walked in. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him as he took in the picture frame.

Of course, he thought. She’d told him all about how she’d been spending the Holiday season in Michigan for the past few years. It must’ve felt weird celebrating Christmas without her boys for the first time in so long. Harry felt a lump settle in his throat. He’d taken her away from her family. Of course, he’d hoped he would’ve had become her family by then, but he knew Y/N and the Greta boys had a special bond that was hard for outsiders to understand. They were the family she’d chosen. And she was the only person that they had ever truly let in.

Harry walked quickly to the foyer, finding everyone standing around the staircase, facing the photographer. He walked to the middle of the crowd and next to Y/N, who still looked as absent as ever. But this time he chose to lay a soft kiss on her temple. “It’s okay, I’m sorry, I love you darlin’,” he said softly against her hair.

Without thinking, Harry took his phone out of his pocket and dialed his assistant’s number, “Hey, yeah, I know, I’m sorry, I just need you to do something very quickly for me.”

--

Except it most definitely was not okay, he did not have to be sorry, and should not have loved her. Y/N felt tears filling her eyes as the guilt once again ate at her. She discreetly wiped a stray tear. There wasn’t anything she could do now, was there?

“Everybody, say cheese!”

She turned around to face the photographer, Harry’s hand wrapping around her waist, a wide smile spreading across both of their faces.

To say Y/N was exhausted would’ve been an understatement. The party had ended being a lot of fun for everybody, perhaps a tad too much fun, as the last guest had left in a cab long after 3AM.

“Cheeeeese!” everybody cheered.

--

She yawned as she took off her jewelry and heels, before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Y/N heard her husband’s soft snores coming from the bedroom and couldn’t help but smile a little as she remembered his sister had spent the night warning him against the spiked eggnog. He clearly had taken her advice lightly and had ended up getting completely hammered.

She started taking her makeup off, lazily throwing her used wipes in the bin. She froze for a second. The girl wasn’t tired enough to have forgotten the reason why she’d been sobbing on the floor just 6 hours earlier.

She slowly shut the bathroom door, flinching when the lock clicked loudly. She got down on her knees and started rummaging through the trash, only to let out a painful sigh when she noticed her worst nightmare hadn’t disappeared. Yep. The tests were still in there. All three of them, mocking her with their baby blue lines.

Hope you liked it! Once again, don't hesitate to send me whatever or leave comments I’m always happy to get feedback xxx

Positive.

--

--

Masterlist

[buds-and-baubles]

hiii it's florian and welcome back to: i read things i knew i'd hate so others don't have to suffer!

today we are describing stormwatch vol 3 (2011-2014)!

reasons why this was a no-good very bad icky yucky wucky fucker:

• swift and doctor were fucking erased from existence and didn't survive the transfer!

• engineer evil arc (not clickbait)!

• ruined the origins of apollo, midnighter, jack hawksmoor, and engineer! ex; no mention of jack being a result from repeated alien abduction/experimentation, angie becoming engineer was a result of experimentation rather than her choice, alien experimentation rather than u.n. government experimentation for mid and apollo.

• martian manhunter evil arc (also not clickbait)! ruined pre-established martian lore!

• what they had in hellstrike's backstory.

• had mid try to kill jenny quantum and later on say he wish he was successful and should try again!

• killed jenny quantum, brought her back, erased her from existence, brought her back, and erased her again! (i am not shitting you this is exactly what happened)

• tying into the above, nobody seems to fucking care that jenny quantum is gone! they for 99% of this comic were fucking awful to jenny quantum!

• lobo! i just hate him.

• harry tanner! i also just hate him not only as a character but they kept making all of angie's woes about this stupid bastard!

• kept beating into the ground with the first writer and continuing it to the next and next writers that midnighter and apollo aren't together. that they aren't friends, just colleagues. he quote 'hardly knows him at all' but they proceed to somehow queerbait the canon gay married couple they un-married! that's right, they did that! it took until the final issues to illude to them finally dating (again)! it took until 2023 pride to have them married! AGAIN!

• too many fucking batman mentions that show him on panel! if i wanted to read about batman, I WOULD BE READING ABOUT BATMAN.

• one arc fucked with red lantern lore i'm pretty sure

• zealot's appearance in it was not kind to her!

• destroyed stormwatch established lore thereby destroying the lore for all stormwatch members

• literally no wildcats or gen 13 mention.

• how they wrote apollo. his characterization, acknowledging on one hand that yeah he's strong as superman but they keep having him literally keel over from everything and having to be rescued by midnighter again and again, calling him yet again stupid and too emotional, making him bothered by mid killing (despite that this apollo's introduction has him do literally that but that they ignored/suddenly he don't kill no more and condemns it), etc.

• apollo's short blond hair and midnighter's awful chin spike.

• every single plot in this i am fairly certain an infant could do better writing. they could do it with actual quality writing without any racism or homophobia that stormwatch vol 3 very fucking much has and i cannot begin to tell you how much that pisses me off. i am sick of seeing racism in comics for fuck's sake. i am sick of seeing homophobia in comics.

[anne-chloe]

Agent 666

Mystic Messenger

Seven/707 x F!Agent!Reader

WIP | Summary : Agent 707 made himself infamous in the Intelligence Agency by being the youngest and most successful hacker, being able to complete tasks set to him in half the amount of time expected. However, Seven finds himself in a difficult position when a newcomer joins, posing as his biggest rival yet. Agent 666.

Alternative Title: Rival

“Agent 707.”

Seven tugged off his headphones and swivelled round in his seat, a look of curiosity upon his round face as he engaged his superior face-to-face. He wasn’t so concerned with the fact that his superior was speaking with him, but more so that it was in person rather than through a senior colleague.

“Yes, sir?” Seven asked awkwardly, clearing his throat as it cracked on a few syllables. Having not spoken for a few hours, his throat was feeling somewhat dry and uncomfortable.

However, Seven’s attention then diverted to the young girl standing at his superiors side. She looked to be about his age, with long [hair colour] hair and piercing [eye colour] eyes. The girl seemed distracted as she glanced around the room, which happened to be full of computer monitors and various other agents busy with their assignments. There wasn’t much noise other than the tapping of keys.

“I’d like to introduce you to Agent 666,” the man said coolly, gesturing politely to the young girl at his side. Seven straightened in his chair, confused and curious all at the same time. He stuck out his hand and watched as the girl hesitated in shaking it; she eyed him skeptically before accepting the friendly gesture. “Agent 666 has joined our ranks and will be within the same unit as you. Seeing as you are both of similar age…”

Seven raised a brow in question, urging his superior to continue. But his superior stopped and cleared his throat, then stepping back and patting Agent 666’s shoulder in encouragement. “Agent Vanderwood will be around shortly to hand you off some assignments. In the meantime, allow Agent 707 to keep you company.”

Bewildered with the fact that he was being lumped with a newcomer, Seven continued to stare at Agent 707 with the deepest set of confusion. It wasn’t uncommon for new starters to randomly appear, but it was most unlikely for someone of his age to appear like this.

Agent 666 fiddled awkwardly with the sleeves of her shirt, shifting on the spot and avoiding Seven’s eye. They both remained quiet like this for a while, with nothing but the sound of clicking keys and tapping noises to accompany them. There were a few questions on the end of Seven’s tongue: Why was she here? How old is she? Where did she learn to hack? Is she good at hacking? What was her backstory?

Seven knew a lot of these were personal questions, and everyone at the agency had hidden secrets. Nobody knew one another’s true identities for the sake of keeping themselves safe from a life they ran away from. The work at the Intelligence Agency was extremely dangerous, and nobody wanted their personal life tied in with that. Seven had a lot of secrets too, many that he wanted to forget about but couldn’t.

But he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“Luciel, I see you’ve met our newbie already.” Agent Vanderwood approached from behind, smirking arrogantly. In his hands he held a stack of documents, which Seven knew to be case files based on the coloured wallet placed on top. “Agent six-six-six,” Vanderwood said slowly, coming to a stop in front of the new agent. He extended his arms and the girl took the documents in a very robotic motion. “Did you both get to know each other?”

Seven shook his head slowly. “No…”

Vanderwood chuckled, proceeding to nudge Seven’s shoulder in a playful manner. Seven tensed at the action and tried to play it off, but he was just as awkward as the new girl, if not more so. Considering Seven had been at the agency now for a couple years, he should have settled in better, but in reality he hadn’t. It was a life he struggled to adjust to.

“Never mind. Come along Agent 666,” Vanderwood called, gesturing for the new girl to follow him.

Seven caught Agent 666’s gaze before she walked away, leaving Seven to watch in slight discomfort.

…

“Did you hear?”

“About what?”

“Agent 666—she’s incredible! She brought down that black market in seconds! Our team was struggling with that one for weeks…”

After returning from a quick toilet break, Seven found himself eavesdropping on someone’s conversation. It was a group of middle aged men, all of them experienced agents and talented with hacking. However, their gossiping caused Seven to pause by the water fountain, where he found his eyes widening in surprise at the new girl’s abilities.

The case involving the black market had been something the Intelligence Agency were tasked with bringing down months ago. The case had swapped hands multiple times, with each agent involved explaining that the assignment was too deep rooted to get into. Seven wasn’t given the chance to even look at the document itself, which he found surprising.

“Excuse me.”

Seven flinched as a small voice called out from behind him. Turning around on his heel, Seven felt his heart hammer at the sight of Agent 666 standing there rather awkwardly. Her shoulders were squared and she looked uncomfortably stiff; her eyes were ducked downwards as she spoke, as if she didn’t want to make eye contact with Seven at all.

“Oh, you…” Seven mumbled, feeling himself fluster with nerves. He couldn’t understand why his heart was beating so strangely, nor why his cheeks were burning up like this. Seven cleared his throat, his hand flying up and scratching the back of his neck. “I, uh… I heard about your success in bringing down one of the black market assignments… congratulations.”

Agent 666 peered up shyly. She then quickly looked away as Seven caught her eye. “Um… thank you…”

Silence consumed them both. Seven took this opportunity to properly look at her. She wore a large black hoodie, which was definitely several sizes too big on her, and a pair of worn looking leggings with a small hole in one of the knees. Her hair was long and looked like it hadn’t been brushed, so there were knots and tangles.

It seemed as though that Agent 666 had been brought straight to the agency from wherever she had lived before. The neglect of her was glaring, and it reminded Seven of how him and Saeran used to look to others before he joined the Intelligence Agency—before Jihyun and Rika helped him escape from his home.

Seven blinked slowly at Agent 666. She was still standing in front of him, looking awkward and nervous and rather fidgety. Seven couldn’t understand why she had approached him like this if she wasn’t about to maintain a conversation—because isn’t that what she’s supposed to do if she approached him first?

“Are you… are you getting water?” She finally asked after stuttering so much. Agent 666 pointed at the water fountain behind Seven.

Seven’s mouth dropped slightly in surprise, and then embarrassment consumed him. Agent 666 hadn’t wanted to speak with him at all, she just wanted some water. It was then that Seven spotted the empty bottle on her hand, and suddenly he felt like a complete idiot.

“I… no, I’m not, sorry,” Seven mumbled, stepping out the way. Agent 666 said nothing else as she finally began filling her bottle, and once that was done she made a swift exit without even glancing at him. Seven could only contain the urge to bang his head against the wall.

“She’s really good, you know?”

Seven scowled slightly as Vanderwood appeared from behind, now leaning against the wall and grinning mischievously at him. “You’d better watch out seven-oh-seven, she’s coming for your title.”

Seven stiffened at the very idea. “What?”

Vanderwood, pleased that he caught his attention with such bait, merely hummed. “Nervous?”

Seven straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest, suddenly feeling protective of his position as the youngest and most talented amongst the agency. This was the beginning of rivalry, whether Agent 666 knew it or not, and Seven wasn’t about to relinquish his title to some mysterious girl.

“No,” Seven declared through gritted teeth. “Not at all.”

[youremyheaven]

there’s a super rich indian couple that is going to get married or maybe they already did, cus it’s been 2 weeks ppl are talking about it 😭😭😭😭

i have no idea who they are but i don’t think they’re celebrities…they are heirs of something🫢

👀👀👀what does the indian media say about them?

it’s anant ambani and radhika merchant 👀👀👀👀

Mukesh Ambani is the richest person in Asia with a net worth of $113 billion 💀

Anant Ambani is his youngest child

Obviously the whole family is famous for being rich but in the last decade or so, they've attracted more attention in the media for their extravagant parties, weddings etc and their tendency to bring out celebrities from India and abroad for these things (Beyonce performed at his daughter's wedding, Rihanna at his son's pre wedding ceremony etc)

Nita Ambani, Mukesh Ambani's wife is thought to be the mastermind behind this (she's Swati Moon and def lovesssss to be immersed in the material world). She was an ordinary school teacher when she married Mukesh in the 80s. The Ambanis are kinda like the Rockefellers of India but they weren't as rich in the 80s as they are today, with major stakes in every industry (esp telecom). Nita was strictly middle class and unused to living a life of luxury. Mukesh's younger brother Anil Ambani, who at the time was more successful and married to a Bollywood actress, Tina Munim (now Tina Ambani) would throw these parties with Tina and invite all these celebrities since those were Tina's friends and colleagues and Nita (according to popular lore) would get very jealous because she wasn't as glamorous as Tina and being a school teacher, she felt out of place etc at these functions. Moreover being the elder daughter in law meant she had more responsibilities esp since her marriage was an arranged one and Tina & Anil had a love marriage.

Cut to a few decades later. Her father in law passed away. Anil Ambani went bankrupt and Mukesh got richer and richer 🤑🤑🤑and finally Nita could shine. There began all this tacky extravaganza. She's just making up in old age for all the partying and celebrity shoulder brushing that she didn't get to do when she was younger. She was once an out of place school teacher but now she's the wife of the richest man in Asia, so she can pull her weight differently.

All of these media shenanigans are said to be her idea as Mukesh is known for being a very simple guy (he's Ashwini Moon) who's obsessed with his wife and will do anything for her.

Since this is the last Ambani wedding of this generation, they're kinda going all out for it. For the last 6 months they've been hosting various "pre-wedding rituals" and now last week, they finally got married.

The name Ambani in India is synonymous with wealth, we just think they're crazy rich people with nothing better to do than hire celebs as their show monkeys lol

[cj-k]

Can you please (if you don't I'm calling the police) explain the story of your green Na'vi and his mate, and also their kids.

Please?

oHHH OF COURSE YES (sorry if sometimes it reads strange, my mother tongue is not English) well, Rosario is a mercenary hired by the RDA and was one of the many people who had an avatar, one of her scientific colleagues used her DNA to create a hybrid of human and navi, the surprise was that the experiment was all a success (they wanted to create a human that breathes the air of pandora) the problem is that all Rosario's team tried to hide the baby because this project was obviously illegal, they needed the baby to live longer because she was too small. She escaped with her friends in one of those equipped tanks from the first movie, but they were attacked by the navis in the area, they kidnapped the baby and killed everyone except Rosario, she survived because she was in her navi corps and had supplies in the shed where they came from. A few months later she met Tadthun, her future husband (damn this is too long) Tadthun was the son of her clan leader, but he left because he didn't pass the maturation tests, so he went into exile out of shame (he ended up very hurt and bruised) Rosario Despite her dislike for the Navi (she was traumatized after seeing them murder her friends) she cured him and took care of him, he taught her to respect nature and over time they fell in love. He took her to his clan, but they rejected the couple and Tadthun officially left his clan to start a family with Rosario. Already several years later she was ill, she had few supplies left and the whole family had to travel to the swamplands to be able to connect Rosario to her Navi body forever. In a show of mercy, Tadthun's parents agreed, but she did not survive and died (as did Grace).

and well that is the story of my green crocodile and his girlfriend, telling the story of each of their children is going to be an ordeal

[drpeppertummy]

Put val in a tight suit and stuff him <3

Pickin On Him,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[light stuffing, little bit of tummy care]

"I feel like a goofball," said Val, looking with amused distaste at his reflection.

"Well, I think you look very handsome." Connie reached around him to adjust his bow tie, then kissed him on the cheek. He smiled.

"Good enough for me." He fidgeted with the buttons of his suit jacket. "Do you think it's too small?"

"Seems impossible," she teased, and he rolled his eyes at her. "No, I think it looks fine. Maybe a tiny bit snug, but I doubt anybody would notice."

Val had been dreading the formal work party ever since he heard about it. It wasn't that he didn't like parties; Val was a very social creature, and he was always glad to get together with his colleagues. It was the formal aspect that had him worried. While he tended to keep himself looking put together, he was more of a business casual guy, and he hated getting all dressed up. Nobody ever had any fun in a suit, he'd always said. Still, he supposed it wouldn't be too bad. He'd catch up with a few people and have a few snacks, and then he could slip out.

It wasn't long into the evening before Val realized that the suit was, in fact, too small.

Val was a skinny man, and the waist of the pants had just barely fit around his narrow middle when he'd put them on. Now, a few snacks and a couple drinks later, he was beginning to feel constricted. The snug pants pushed his tummy up and out, and he wondered how long it would be before they popped open. He could feel his jacket tightening around his belly as well. If he were at home, he'd have gladly unbuttoned it, but the idea of showing off his bloated tummy to all his coworkers wasn't exactly appealing.

"Hey Val, you alright? You look a little off," said a friend, giving Val a pat on the back. He smiled up at her.

"I'm okay. Tired," he said, and he was only half lying.

"Why don't you come eat something? That'll wake you up a little," she suggested, and before he could think of a way out, she swept him off for another bite.

Val couldn't get out of the party soon enough. He said his goodbyes to the people he cared to say them to, feigning a migraine, and slipped away before anybody could catch him. He unbuttoned his jacket the moment he stepped out the door. He regretted that quickly--it was chilly out--but he found himself unable to get the buttons fastened again over his belly. He'd lost track of what he'd eaten over the course of the hour or so he'd been there, but he felt absolutely stuffed, and his tummy pushed out hard against his too-tight pants. Truthfully, he hadn't eaten an unusual amount; the stupid suit was just so tight that he felt like he'd eaten a horse.

Connie covered her mouth at the sight of her weary little husband coming through the door, trying not to laugh. He gave her an exhausted look, then flopped onto his back on the couch, undoing his pants with a heavy sigh. Removing that pressure was a tremendous relief; he was astonished the fly hadn't popped open on its own by now. Connie sat down beside his head, still looking amused, and placed a hand on his tummy.

"So I guess the suit was too small after all, huh?" She smiled regretfully and rubbed his sore belly.

"All part of your wicked plot to get me home sooner, I'm sure," he teased, and she laughed.

"Yeah, right! Hey, that's good, I'll write that down for next time," she said. He grinned up at her. She leaned over him to untuck his shirt, and as she did, he craned his neck awkwardly to kiss any bit of skin he could reach, with little success.

"You better quit it," she giggled, tugging his shirt up to examine his belly. There was a harsh red mark slashed across it where the pants had been pressing tightly into his skin. "Oh, gosh, Val!"

"Told you it was too small."

"I'll say," she said, wincing. She rubbed the mark gently, then an idea dawned on her. "Want me to kiss it better?"

"Connie, I don't know what I'd do without you," he said. Smiling, she leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek, then leaned over his tummy once more.

[valyrfia]

hellooo deviating from the usual a little bit here, sorry, but would it be okay w you to share a little about your academic career and yk all that because im applying for a STEM degree too so any insight would be really cool!! thank youuuu <3

Hi anon! Sure thing! I'm a little flattered honestly.

I'm currently working towards my PhD in physics (hence my obsession with data haha) so I can really only give advice in that field. In terms of my journey, in school I pretty gifted academically, 99th percentile and all that bullshit and it came to applying for unis/degrees and I had an option between doing a History & English or a physics degree. In school I definitely enjoyed the humanities more, but I've never regretted my decision to go with STEM, physics especially, because it teaches you a certain way to think. In my undergraduate degree I was trained to look at a situation, evaluate the context of it, try and collect data that is unbiased as possible, and draw conclusions, and that's a set of invaluable transferable skills that can be applied to a multitude of fields.

To someone who's just starting out in STEM now my advice would be: network, network, network. My partner and I are both doing PhDs that we got not through applying but through networking. Everyone is as smart as everyone else in STEM. Everyone was an honours kid, everyone did the "smart people" extracurriculars, so STEM, especially academia, runs on who you know. Networking these days can be as simple as asking someone slightly senior than you to grab coffee, as agreeing to go bouldering (for example) with a group of people in the same field as you. Be confident in your skills and abilities, (but beware that arrogance won't get you very far in the being liked game, especially if you're anything other than a white cis man). Don't let your studies get in the way of you being an interesting person! For example, I met a colleague from another university a couple of weeks ago and she and I bantered over our F1 teams, with her defending McLaren and me ride or die-ing for Ferrari, and I've since been roped into her mailing list and am collaborating with her on a grant application, things I'm SURE would not have happened if F1 wasn't an interesting hobby of mine that I can and will take every chance to yap about.

As a final aside, don't let yourself get too discouraged. STEM is NOT for the faint of heart and definitely not the place to go if you want to keep feeling smart. The first two years of any STEM degree are designed to break people in a specific way so that they let go of their ego, yes it is part of the process and YES everyone is struggling just as much as you (that's actually want they want you to figure out!), so that then they can enter the world of research with as little ego as possible (this works to varying degrees of success). But honestly, STEM is so rewarding. To have this really in depth knowledge of how part of our world works is fascinating. Your friends who work in non-STEM fields will understand absolutely none of it, and you'll get to a point where even the effort of trying to explain it to other fields of STEM is too monumental (for example, I understand enough about basic aero in order to get to grips with F1 cars, but a friend of mine is doing aero research and he spent about ten minutes the other month trying to explain push/pull bars in F1 cars to a group of PhD students comprising of: theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, plasma physicist, a quantum physicist, and mechanical engineer before the poor guy almost gave up and had a nervous breakdown because none of us were getting it). I think part of the beauty of STEM is realising how little you know, and how much of it there is for us to still work out.

You got this! You're at the beginning of a beautiful journey and I KNOW it'll turn out brilliant <3.

[twistedtummies2]

Fifteen Days of Disney Magic - NUMBER ONE

Welcome, one and all, to the final entry of Fifteen Days of Disney Magic! In honor of the company’s 100th Anniversary, I have been counting down my Top 15 Favorite Movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios…with one exception. And it is that one exception that takes the top spot on my little list. “Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to see something strange?” NUMBER ONE IS…The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Now, before I get into the film proper, I should address WHY I made this an exception to the rules. Because – especially considering this film is my number one pick – it probably seems like MASSIVE cheating. And…yeah. I make no apologies there, it is. But I’m still going to count this movie, for two reasons. One, and this is the most simple reason… “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” as I’ve said a few times in the past, is a strong candidate for my all-time favorite movie. That fact, alone, is a pretty strong incentive for me to cheat. It’s owned by Disney, after all, so if nothing else, that’s mild justification. But of course, my rule of thumb was that – with this one exception – all of the movies I chose would be from the 60+ films in the lineup of Walt Disney Animation, specifically. However, technically speaking, this movie DOES still count there…if you squint, I suppose. Especially since a lot of “Nightmare’s” identity does, in fact, revolve around Disney. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was envisioned as a short film by Tim Burton, who wrote a poem by the same title in his off-time while working at the Disney studios. Yes, indeed, for those who don’t already know, Tim Burton’s career basically began with him working as a concept artist and in-between animator for Disney; he actually worked on a few films, including “Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.” He also was behind a couple of cartoons and television specials, including the stop-motion short “Vincent” and the live-action version of “Frankenweenie.” Burton initially wanted “Nightmare” to be a stop-motion TV special, a sort of homage to the Rankin/Bass specials he had grown up with as a kid. At the time, however, Disney was reluctant to spearhead the project, for multiple reasons. One was that they felt the costs of making the special would exceed any profit that could be made from it. The other was that they were worried the subject matter would be a bit too dark, a notion not helped greatly by the content of Burton’s earlier projects for them. It wasn’t until some years later, after Burton had left the company, that Disney decided maybe it was time to give the old concept a new look.

By THAT time, Burton had been discussing the idea of transforming “Nightmare” into a feature-length film, collaborating with his friend and already frequent colleague, Danny Elfman, to come up with an outline for the story and the characters. They went back to Disney, and the company decided to give their idea a chance…of a sort. You see, the problems that had made Disney hesitant in the first place still existed. So, Disney decided to release the movie under the banner of a subsidiary company, Touchstone Pictures. Burton – who was having to split duties between this film and “Batman Returns” at the time – hired Henry Selick to act as the director. Selick, after having some talks with Elfman and Burton alike, began to work on the project with his own team of animators. The rest is history. When “Nightmare” came out, it wasn’t a massive success…at first. But over the years, the film earned a VERY substantial following. It got to the point where Disney realized they had a cash cow on their hands. And, since Touchstone was already affiliated with the company, it did not take much wrangling to officially declare “Nightmare” to be a Disney film. If you watch the film nowadays, instead of a Touchstone logo, you’ll find it preceded first by the Disney logo, then a credit card that gives the kudos to Walt Disney Studios. So, in essence, Nightmare was ADOPTED into the core canon of their films, retroactively. Yes, counting it is still cheating, but if Disney can acknowledge it that way, so can I.

Plus, like I said before…this is my favorite movie, or at least a strong contender for that title. It’s hard to say exactly what makes “The Nightmare Before Christmas” hit me so hard, but I think it’s simply best to say it sort of fires on all my cylinders. I love its sense of aesthetic style; a perfect blend of qualities that make the works of Tim Burton (and Henry Selick, for that matter) so unique. The animation itself is quite wonderful. The music is fantastic. The story is simplistic, but you can gleam a lot from it by sort of reading between the lines; it’s not a deep, complex piece of socially-focused art, but there’s something else beneath its surface, like a lot of great, dark fairy-tales. It’s contemporary and yet ageless, with an exquisite voice cast and characters that are not exactly deep and intensely complicated, but are still likeable, charming, and at times even subversive. Jack Skellington, in particular, is NOT your typical Disney protagonist, by ANY stretch of the word, and that’s part of what makes him and his story so compelling. When looked at in the scope of all the things Disney has done, “Nightmare” stands in an interesting place. There aren’t too many movies like it in the Disney canon, no matter where you look at it WITHIN that canon. And certainly none of the few that could compare hold a candle to the impact and legacy this film has. It’s no wonder Disney decided to officially declare it a film of their own. For me, it will always be a special piece of work. It’s my favorite Halloween movie, my favorite Christmas movie, my favorite movie for many of the creative people involved with it…and there is no doubt in my mind that this is – however unfairly – My Favorite Disney Movie. Period. And so concludes Two Weeks of Disney Magic! Like I said, I will have AT LEAST one other list ready for founding day (that's tomorrow), so be ready for that. In any case, though, I’m glad you all could join me, and I hope my opinions haven’t been TOO ridiculously peculiar. XD Thank you all for reading!

[lalo-tellmeagain]

PART 1:

I need to preface all this by saying that the reason I watched this movie or cared about its release at all is 100% because of Tony. I will watch anything he does if I have access to it. The way the this movie was marketed I assumed that he would be in a supporting role, and to be honest my expectations for this were very low.

That’s why I was shocked when I saw it…. This is mostly *his* movie! I cannot stress enough how much I loved him in this and what a fantastic character Diego was for him to play.

Diego and Emilia (played by Angie Cepeda, pictured above) are a married couple who’ve been together for years. They have a teenage son. Diego is a very successful plastic surgeon, a very loving and affectionate husband and father, and just maybe a little bit set in his ways in the comfort of married life. (Did I mention he’s also extremely handsome??!!) They try really hard to make him seem old and boring and honestly it doesn’t work AT ALL.

They are friends with a younger married couple Tomas and Betina. Tomas is also a work colleague of Diego’s. One night it comes out that Tomas and Betina have a little secret— they’ve become swingers to give their marriage a little boost, and guess what! They love it!

Emilia is intrigued because she’s been finding Diego to be kind of a bore lately and she thinks they don’t have sex as often as they should and that maybe there’s something wrong with them. She makes a few attempts to get his attention and he’s a little clueless but get this!!! Because he is a loving and supportive husband who really cares about her he *sees that she’s upset, and actively listens to her concerns, and then agrees to be open minded about going to a swingers party (even though he’s apprehensive) because he CARES about what she wants*!!! This is a key point throughout this entire movie. HE LOVES HER.

So they go to the party and Emilia basically just sort of heads right in and gets in the pool with Tomas. Betina is off elsewhere with some other people and Diego is left by himself wandering around. He’s given some hallucinatory drugs which he is surprisingly open to taking (not old and boring at all!)and then proceeds to sort of stumble through a bunch of tents and rooms witnessing what is basically an orgy. This is absolutely the best part of the entire movie- he gets more and more delirious and goofy and Tony is so good at comedy (I wish he could do more of this) that the whole thing which is actually super cringe is completely hilarious. He falls into the pool fully clothed and then drags himself out and he and Emilia go home.