#bachelor challenge entry

[none-of-these-days]

Interviewer: Mr. Landgrab, what are some of your favorite activities outside of work?

Johnny: As a business owner there is barely any time for hobbies. But I enjoy a good match of tennis or golf. When in Mt. Komorebi I always try to get at least a few hours to enjoy the snowy mountains and go skiing.

Interviewer: Sounds tough! You probably don't have time for any pets, do you?

Johnny: My family owns a prestigious horse stable in the countryside of Brindelton Bay. I started horse riding at the age of 5 and still do so when time allows. Other than that, my mother owns three poodles. But I consider myself a cat person rather than a dog person.

Interviewer: Holiday season is coming upon us! Where is your favorite travel destination?

Johnny: I travel a lot due to work. I'd say my favorite destination is Tartosa. It's known for it's magnificent sun downers and exquisite cuisine. There is nothing better than enjoying a high class meal and some good wine while watching the sun down.

Interviewer: Rumors have it you're invited to Mr. Straud's Halloween party. What will your costume look like?

Johnny: I'll keep it traditional and simple. I enjoy high fashion - wearing silly costumes however is not something I'm especially keen of. I decided to go as a vampire. The suit was tailored by one of my favorite designers. It did cost quite the money but I say it's worth the price.

Part 1 out of 2 of CEO Johnny's introduction for @cawthorntales bachelor challenge. I hope you like this little interview Johnny did. I was figuring out how to offer as much info about CEO Johnny without it reading weird in his actual video tape (which will be posted tomorrow). So I decided to split things up. I think it's very fitting for succesfull business owner Johnny to do these kind of interviews.

I've also included the Halloween screenshots in this post! :D

(Also sorry if anything sounds off. English is not my native language and I'm running out of brain juice atm. I heavily relied on DeepL and hope everything makes sense.)

[simshype-entertainment]

Wishing Sora luck in the bachelor challenge can't wait until August

Fighting! 💜

Meet Sora Park

For @blerdytrait's Sweet On Shaun BC

Age: 21

Traits: Music lover // Dance Machine // Hot Headed along with some reward traits

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Born and raised in mt Komorebi, she quickly rose to stardom at the age of sixteen as a trainee at Hype Entertainment; she is quite different on stage and off stage, she's shy off stage and on stage she's not shy at all, it's her duality.

Has a hearing aid after an incident when she was ten after her and her parents got into a car accident; trauma to her head she had to re-learn how to walk along with needing a hearing aid.

[riverofjazzsims]

Hendrix Lothario for @cawthorntales Landgraab BC

Hendrix Lothario Young Adult Gay Aspiration: Successful lineage Traits: Unethical, Family Oriented, Hot headed

Yes, Lothario, as in THE Lothario family. Hendrix is Don Lotharios cousin and where Don might be known for his prowess and noncommittal lover boy mentality. Hendrix, took more after Dons uncle, his father {redacted} Lothario , who though a bit of a rake is known more for his darker dealings. From the desert of Oasis springs to the back alleys of San My Hendrix has been working his way up in family business. Hendrix doesnt mind getting his hands dirty but he works on keeping a low profile. Something he has learned over the years is sometime the thing that is seen the least is the one that is sitting right out in the open. Crazily enough its being out in the open that has him signing up for this BC. What better way to throw the sent off of some of his more recent activities than to be blatantly preoccupied with tempting a one very uptight looking golden boy. And secretly this may give Hendrix the chance to get to know someone he could possibly have a romantic interest in for more than a fleeting moment

PRIVATE DOWNLOAD

[fruitysimsy]

Love on the Ranch entry

Here's my sim for #loveontheranch by @snderist

Eloise Coleman grew up traveling with her parents because of her dad's job as a food blogger. Her senior year of high school her father passed, and her mother moved them to Brindleton Bay. In her free time she enjoys photography, reading, and caring for the stray animals in her neighborhood. She shows her love for her friends and family through food, and her best friend would describe her as a golden retriever. Girly isn't afraid to get dirty and will try everything once. Her ideal date would be an outdoor activity like ice skating (or horseback riding) and then going back home for a meal she made just for them. Eloise is excited about the prospect of finding her forever person in Asher! (custom content used and gallery ID under the cut)

Custom content all outfits: skin tone skin detail (+ MsBlue skinset) eyebrows (thin) rings (couldn't find the link to the ones in the photos, replaced with these) eyes lip preset nose preset butt slider hip shape slider (I didn't even use the sliders, added them just in case though) teeth override (BGvampiresmore) tattoo everyday: eyeshadow (outfit 1) eyeshadow (outfit 2) lashes (NO1 glasses conflict) hair blush earrings necklace outfit 2 shoes 1 (same as formal) shoes 2 (daisy flower flat sandals) formal: eyeshadow lashes eyeliner blush hair (V3) earrings shoes (couldn't find the original ones, switched to the same as everyday 1) dress

Gallery ID: fruitysimsy

[fruitysimblr]

Bernard Clark would like to meet Vernon Chamberlain ! @goodnightlittlewing

Likes: detective tv re-runs (especially Sherlock and Poirot), custard cream biscuits, checkers Dislikes: being unable to finish crossword puzzles, complicated coffee orders (his teenage granddaughter is trying to teach him) Traits: vegetarian, neat, genius Backstory: Bernard was in a serious relationship for several years until the topic of children came up, Bernard wanted children where his partner did not. He went through the adoption process alone, raising his son, Sebastian, whilst working at the library. He didn’t mind the single dad life but now Sebastian has grown up and had a daughter of his own, Bernard wants to live more of his life, tick things of the bucket list so to speak - one of them getting back into the dating scene.

He loves mysteries and logical pursuits (puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, wordles) but can be known to go outside and take nature photographs of butterflies or birds.

[mangosimoothie]

Three days! Submit your simmies and/or rb to spread the call. Can't wait to start the shenanigans on Halloween 😈

This Halloween, Attica Riot presents 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐹𝐴𝑀𝐼𝐿𝐼𝐴𝑅: a different kind of Bachelor Challenge. 

Vampire supercouple Atticus Winthorpe and Ryan Kato are looking for that special someone: the perfect mortal to join the Katowin household as their familiar. Do you live to serve? Would you die to serve? Do you perform well under immense pressure? Are you not the slightest bit squeamish? Then you might just be that one. Maybe. Atticus and Ryan are very particular.

RULES:

Submissions must be sent by October, Friday the 13th

Tag #katowinfamiliar and @mangosimoothie

One outfit per category and no alpha hair

CONTESTANTS:

8 will be chosen

Must be human and mortal - no occults

15 skill points spent however you please

Young Adults only

The winning sim will join the Katowin household and welcome a life of servitude (plus a cushy salary) under their two new caretakers.

Will they fall in love? Will they get turned? Will they die trying? Who's to say.

In your submission, please include some background on your sim, why they want to be a familiar, any special skills they might have, and their blood type (yes, really)

Can't wait to see your submissions! Happy Halloween and reblog instead of liking to spread the call 🖤

start | prev | next

[y3ager]

STORYTIME I (26 F) FUCKED MY SUPERSTAR CLIENT (24 M) AFTER MONTHS OF SEXUAL TENSION!

— ‘i’m a manager for a pretty big music label and my client is the biggest dickhead in the world but i fear i fucked him after one of our usual arguments.. 😵‍💫’

eren y. x black!fem!reader

tags: modern au, smut, porn not much plot, hate(?)sex, cunnilingus, cowgirl, reader gets called ‘mama’ and ‘boss’, unprotected sex, mild choking, musician!eren, manager!reader. minors do not interact.

my first collab entry MAKE SOME NOISE YALL WTF!!! but no seriously thanks so much to @k9nto for letting me join your event i had a blast writing this! hope you all enjoy! 🤭

YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED SOME annoying people in your life. in kindergarten, a boy taunted you by picking up one your fallen hot pink knocker-balls and refusing to give it back to you. in high school, some chick named tiffany ripped down all of your junior class president posters that you spent weeks designing and printing out on the highest quality paper. your college advisor had been completely useless, you’d still be dragging yourself through your bachelor’s degree if you didn’t stay on your toes and realize the classes you were dropped in were a waste of time. but all of these people, and many more that have slipped your mind, shaped and molded you into the woman you were today. strong, tenacious, independent, a go-getter who never gave up and thus was able to reap her hard work, in the form of three nice crisp degrees and a never pitiful bank account.

but eren yeager, grammy award winning singer, songwriter and musician, with multiple weeks spent at the top of the billboard hot 100 and 200 charts, millions of units sold worldwide, and stadiums packed to the brim, took the fucking cake.

you were warned he’d be difficult. every manager he’s assigned quits before one of them ends up in a body bag. none of them have a single nice thing to say about him, and he finds that hilarious.

for better or for worse, you took the challenge because you’re a sucker for them. nothing in life comes easy, and you figured that the managers before just didn’t come hard enough. maybe eren’s fame and status made them falter, but such a fate wouldn’t befall you.

you dragged him to his magazine shoots, you kept his mouth in line during interviews, you kept his socials clean. he was never a second late to rehearsals and recordings. he was a reflection of you, and if you were perfect goddammit he was going to be too.

until today.

“i’m not putting in another extension, eren. the label is starting to get really irritable. we need to go to the studio now.” you furiously swiping along your ipad, pacing around the singer’s deluxe hotel room. while you’re dressed for the day in clean crisp clothes, sharp stilettos, and jet black lace front expertly melted and laid, eren’s still in the bed. the covers are everywhere, his shirt is next to a couple pillows on the floor, and he’s laying on his back eating a croissant from room service, paying you absolutely no mind. it takes everything in you to not chuck your device at his big head. “i’m serious. get. up.”

“and i said i’m not,” he mocks your assertive tone, voice oozing in sarcasm. “going.” he coughs, obviously faking. “my voice hurts. can’t make those greedy bastards money if my vocal chords ache. they’ll live.”

“you are on a strict deadline this era. if you want to catch award season, this album needs to be finished and dropped in the next month. amidst the press tour, your window of recording time is dwindling fast.” dates in your digital calendar glare at you, red and angry. every time you check something off your to do, ten new things pop up. you feel your jaw clenching, teeth gritting together uncomfortably.

“i’ve won enough awards. i don’t care. i’m not getting up.” eren finally raises up from the bed, narrowed green eyes meeting yours. it’s fire against fire, an unstoppable force that is a manager determined to do her job versus an immovable object, a musician who’s not budging from his spot. “it’s my album. it’s my music. i finish it when the fuck i get ready. that label will burn before they drop me.”

“if you don’t follow contract, they will drop you. they put a lot of money into you-”

“money i made back for those dumbasses-!”

“they are your bosses, without them-”

“they need me way more than i need them-!”

“get,” you toss your ipad over to a small couch, storming over to the bed. you snatch the edge of the covers and yank hard. enough is enough. if he won’t get up, you’ll make him get up. “the fuck out of this bed, eren, now!”

“you need,” the cover is yanked back, tugging you forward along with it. you lurch momentarily before righting yourself upwards, leaning back to give yourself more leverage in this childish tug of war you find yourself in. “to calm the fuck down, ___. i’m not going and that’s fucking it.” eren may be lean, but he’s toned like a MMA fighter, muscles rippling under tan skin when he calls upon them. another tug and you topple onto the california king bed, one expensive heel sliding off your foot and falling across the room.

your heads snaps up from the covers, brow furrowed deep in anger. “stop being so fucking difficult, you moron!” emotions welling, you grab one of his arms, preparing to drag him out of this bed. your to do list is a nagging itch on your brain that by the grace of god you are going to scratch. you’re not about to let this bad-with-authority dickhead best you when all he has to do is record a fucking vocal.

“oh, we’re doing this?” easily, too easily, so easily that you register your back hitting the soft bed before you realized he even grabbed you back. he pins you down easily, slightly calloused hands grip your upper arms firmly, pushing them down. he places his legs other either side of your hips so yours are forced in between them, but doesn’t keep you from writhing to free yourself. “whatever fucking—stop doing that—chip you have on your shoulder, you need to fucking solve it because shit’s not going your way today. i’m not going and that is final.”

the tussle leaves you two of you panting, eyes boring into each other’s. eren’s long chocolate brown hair is disheveled not only from a night’s sleep but from this impromptu wrestle. small beads up sweat trickle down his naked chest. your writhe again, and he presses down against you, a synonymous hiss sliding through both of your mouths.

“i hate you, eren.”

“whatever helps you sleep at night, ___. looks like you wanted an excuse to feel up on me.”

“oh, like you wanted an excuse to hump me like a mutt?”

there’s another beat of silence as you two watch each other. eren’s hands tighten their hold just a tad before he presses his hardening length hard against your clothed cunt. against your better judgement, your head tilts back and a small moan fights against your bitten bottom lip.

eren hums lowly, his dick bulging against the constraint of his boxers. “hate me too much to actually fuck me, huh? i’m only worth a dry hump.”

oh how eren frustrates you. how he makes even the simplest things in life painstakingly difficult. how he makes you want to smoke ten packs of cigarettes after a day of dealing with him. but oh, how handsome he looks under the lights at photo shoots. how his deep, smooth voice reverbs in your ears. how his fingers move so deftly on his guitar, as if it’s merely an extension of his body. who wouldn’t fantasize about that late at night, him bending you over and snatching down your pants to fuck the stress out of you, or yourself knocking him down a peg and making him beg to let you cum inside.

“shut-” another roll of his hips makes you gasp. “up..”

“i want you, ___,” eren confesses. his hips don’t falter, his cock becoming hungry for release. “i want that pussy. i wanna fuck that little attitude out of you, can i? i see how you look at me and i stare right back.”

you shiver, hand rushing to undo your dress pants and feel more of eren’s dick against your dampening cunt. his hands work with your perfectly, yanking your pants down. it’s a whirlwind of clothes, your sweater, bra, your other shoe.

eren reaches up to grab your breasts, rolling them in his palms, squeezing the supple flesh, pushing them together. “oh, pretty girl. pretty fuckin’ tits.” leaning down, he kisses down your sternum, stomach, inching closer and closer to your center. he wastes no time grabbing your thighs and licking a nice, long stripe against your drooling cunt and sucking on your clit.

your back immediately arches up and your hands fly to grip eren’s hair, tugging at the locks and pulling him in closer so you can feel everything. “oh my god, eren.” the singer’s not shy at all, audibly sucking at you and reaching up to twist and pinch your pebbled nipples.

with another languid lick eren pulls himself away. he pulls his boxers down on and off, freeing his dick from the constraint. he rubs the thick, weeping tip up and down your slit, staring hungrily at the juices leaking out. the feeling of it makes you shiver in anticipation.

“mmm, mm-mm.” you push yourself up. “let me get ‘n top..” there’s a greedy look in your low eyes as you place your hand on eren’s solid chest and lay him down on the bed.

“take charge here too, huh?” your forwardness makes him chuckle as he watches you straddle his waist. “okay then. ride me.”

you brace yourself on your toes as his hand and yours grasp his shaft, directing it to your pulsing hole. you slide down gingerly onto him, his size quickly stretching you out. “ahh, fuck, eren. fuck…”

“you got it,” he assures you, one hand on your thigh as you sink lower and lower, taking him in inch by inch. he bites his lip at the wet tightness of your walls, squeezing and sucking him in. it makes him throw his head back, a couple of small pants escaping his mouth. “mmhm, fuck that pussy feels so good. take that dick, boss.” his hand raises only to land on your ass check with a sharp slap.

you start out slow at first, letting yourself adjust to the wideness of his dick but that quickly gets old. you’re soon addicted to the feeling of him fitting inside so perfectly. gripping his free hand in yours, you swivel and raise your hips faster and faster, effortlessly, desperate for that feeling of him pounding that oh so sweet spot. your juices slide down his length, the slap slap slap of your ass against his muscled thighs filling the room. “‘s so big, feels so good,” your voice slurs.

eren hisses from his spot under you, eyes trained on where you two connect. mouth slightly agape, he watches your cunt swallow him up and the fluid that leaks out. “yes, mama. keep fucking me just like that. feels.. f-fuckin’ amazin’…” his hands grab your plump ass cheeks, fingers digging in hard as he thrusts his hips up, driving the tip of his cock even deeper inside you and pulling a loud moan from you. “keep goin, mama, ‘m almost there, don’t stop, please..”

his pleading make you clench even tighter around him, and that feeling deep inside your tummy aches for release. you place a hand around his throat to better balance yourself, relishing in his low groan. your thighs quake and tremble, your hips meeting his eager thrust perfectly. “oh, my god; oh my god. i’m— shit!” you throw your head back in ecstasy, cumming hard enough on your client’s dick to leave you numb.

“aw, fuck, boss.” eren thrusts up to push his cum deep inside, holding you against himself to ensure a single drop doesn’t leak. “take it, take it..”

the two of you are left panting hard, bodies sweaty and gleaming with the afterglow of sex. you gingerly pull away, cunt left sore and spent from a round of sex months in the making. eren reaches over to caress your ebon lips, admiring the smooth, wet feeling once you roll onto your back. “no more attitude from you, yeah?”

“no more attitude from the man reduced to calling me ‘mama’ and begging to cum either, i’d assume.” your teasing laughter is cut off by him purposefully sinking three fingers deep inside you. “mmh…”

“mhm, sure.” roles reversed, eren climbs on top of you and stares down with green eyes aflame with lust through his tousled brown hair. “now i want to see what i can make you call me.”

[akitasimblr]

mad about dodo: the bachelor no one asked for... challenge 🌴🩷🌞

i know this is - probably - a mistake. but i can't help myself 😶 after watching dodo fail three attempts in bachelor/bachelorette challenges; deeply inspired by nafisa's bc (@flocy-sims); and somewhat persuaded that dodo needed his time to shine, am i right, @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants 😉? i decided to give dodo a bachelor challenge of his own.

who is dodo?

dodo, short for orlando harper, is a 7th generation spare. twin brother of the one and only, leonardo harper, and son of virginia harper and paolo rocca.

dodo is a sports enthusiast, being himself a one-star famous athlete. despite not having the ambitious and selfish nature of his twin brother and superstar actor, leo harper; orlando can be a somewhat attention seeker as well.

there’s nothing he loves more than to spend time at the gym or the football field. he’s not the romantic type... IN FACT, he performed many mean behaviours with all the bachelor and bachelorettes he interacted with 🙄 so i wonder, is there someone out there who could sweep dodo off his feet? that's what we'll find out, right?

important notes

the bachelor challenge will take place on sulani and will follow the island challenge's rules (with some adaptations here and there).

the bachelor and contestants will live off-the-grid and with just very basic survival items. they can’t leave the island (lot) and they are cut off from civilization completely.

first impressions + wicked whims will be in effect (but no adult content will ever be published). we'll be having rose cerimonies, solo dates, group dates and free days schedules. until we have only 7 sims left in the challenge, 3 sims will leave by round. also, leo harper is gonna try to steal the show once in a while 😄

submission rules

open to up to 21 contestants

no occults allowed

all sims/genders/sexualities are welcome

all previously existing skills will be erased to level 0

give them likes and dislikes at your will

only one outfit per category - remember they are on a deserted island so no polish attire is advised ;)

cc allowed to the amount of your desire, but keep it maxis match (i have all expansions, packs, stuff, so no worries)

give your sim a brief, medium or testamentary backstory (i will read everything!)

please tag me and use the tag #madaboutdodo with your entry! no deadline until i have all spots filled.

if you have any questions about it, feel free to send me a dm or leave a comment :) thank you so much!

🌴previous | next🌴

[ranchstoryblog]

Piczle Cross: Rune Factory Announced!

If you enjoyed the Story of Seasons Piczle Cross game, get ready for some Rune Factory flavored puzzles coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2025! The official website lists:

300 nonogram puzzles with both classic and color variations!

20 collage puzzles, made up of many smaller puzzles, both in classic and color variations!

Fight and capture monsters!

Uncover villagers and bachelors!

Customise your farm, pick your spouse and choose your weapons!

Unlock entries in the in-game Compendium and learn about the characters in Rune Factory!

Unlock entries in the in-game Bestiary and learn more about the beasts of Rigbarth!

The most feature-rich nonogram experience available!

Dozens of Quality of Life features, as well as aides for newcomers and a challenge mode for experts

Challenge yourself, ...or don't! There is no wrong way to play!

[jonquilyst]

Total Drama Sims: Season 2

That's right, baby! We're back. Is your teenaged sim bored and wanting something epic and awesome to do to spend their summer? Does your teenaged sim want a brush of fame and notoriety? Well, you've come to the right place. Total Drama Sims, the freshest, awesomest reality show on simblr, is back for a 2nd season, and I'm ready for you all to send 14 more teenagers to compete in crazy, wacky challenges (safety/lack of danger not guaranteed) in pursuit of the grand prize!

WHAT'S NEW THIS SEASON?

To keep things fresh, TDS2 will be set in a new location and will have new gameplay mechanics! TDS has claimed an abandoned film lot in Del Sol Valley because this season, our challenges will be based off of movie genres, just like the 2nd season of TDS's inspiration!

As for our new gameplay mechanics, TDS2 will be introducing a double elimination (two people are eliminated rather than one), a team swap elimination (someone is eliminated, but instead of leaving the game, the eliminated person joins the other team), and purge challenges (instead of a vote, the worst-performing contestant of a challenge is automatically eliminated) to mix things up and keep the game interesting!

I am primarily looking for people who did NOT participate last season, or their sim got out early. However, everyone may still participate! I just want as many people as possible to get a chance to have their sim play 💖 A lot of people were interested last time and unfortunately spots filled up so fast that some people weren't able to participate because of it (That being said, to promote transparency, I am now REQUIRING RESERVATIONS! That means if you want to participate, you MUST contact me before submitting your sim. You can do this by DM'ing me or sending an ask).

Read on for a refresher on what this competition is all about and UPDATED submission rules (so if you had a sim compete last season, make sure to read them again!)

THE GIST:

This competition is, obviously, based off of the Total Drama series (a show that’s near and dear to me), but you do not need any background knowledge of this show to participate! The show (and this competition) functions similarly to a Bachelor Challenge, where contestants will be routinely eliminated until there is a sole winner.

This competition will also focus on the contestants building relationships with each other (hence the drama part, which is bound to happen when you put 14 teenagers together!)

SUBMISSION RULES:

Reservations for spots are first-come-first-serve. If for any reason you'd like to give up your reservation, contact me ASAP so I can give that reservation to someone else!

Your sim must be a teen

If you had a sim compete last season, you may not resubmit that same sim. I'm looking for an all-new cast!

No occults; contestants must be human only (to prevent unfair advantages)

Contestants must not have high-level skills (they can have some level of skill but nothing above lvl 5; also to prevent unfair advantages)

Any amount and type of CC is fine, just make sure to include it when you send your sim over to me ^^

Only one outfit per category please

Must be okay with slight changes in sims' appearances (as I may use different mods/presets than you do)

Must be okay with me writing dialogue for your sims (for confessionals (example from last season here). I read all entries down to the word and will try my very best to keep everyone in their intended character)

Must be okay with the possibility of your sim entering romantic relationships with other sims (PLEASE SPECIFY THEIR SEXUALITY/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. Sims with unspecified sexualities/romantic orientations will be assumed to be pan). Nothing NSFW will be shown or mentioned, as of course I'll be portraying minors, but please let me know if you don't want your sim to enter any romantic relationships!

Please give your sims a backstory. The more detailed the better. Describe what they're like, why they're competing on Total Drama Sims, etc.

Your sim can have any traits/aspirations

HERE IS HOW THE COMPETITION WILL WORK:

The 14 contestants will be split into 2 teams of 7

The 2 teams will compete in challenges in attempt to win invincibility (safety from being voted off). The losing team will have to vote someone off (the winning team will not be part of voting)

This process continues until 7 contestants remain. Afterwards the teams dissolve and everyone competes individually (this is known as merge). This means that only 1 contestant can win invincibility; everyone else will be at risk for elimination

When merge occurs, all eliminated contestants at that point will be eligible to rejoin the game through a special challenge. The winner of that challenge will rejoin the game (bringing the number of contestants back to 8)

This process again continues until 2 contestants remain. In the finale, all eliminated contestants will vote for a winner

Challenges will occur half the time. The other half of the competition will be socialization days, where contestants are free to socialize with each other as they please

The competition will start with a socialization day first to establish relationships before the first challenge

If the numbers between teams get too uneven, then a team swap will occur to one random contestant on the larger team

Voting will be determined by relationship dynamics and how everyone did in the challenge. Contestants who do poorly are more likely to get voted. Contestants who have a negative relationship with each other are also more likely to get voted. Conversely contestants who have a positive relationship with each other are less likely to get voted. The contestant with the most votes at the end is eliminated. All of this will be determined by a spinner (in case of a tie I will use a random number generator to determine who’s out). This will also determine who wins at the end of the competition.

REWARD FOR THE WINNER:

This competition is mostly for the funsies, but whoever wins this competition will personally receive an actual reward from me! You have a choice between the following options:

Discord Nitro for 1 month

A tumblr badge

NO DEADLINE! Submissions will close when all 14 spots are filled/reserved. Please provide your sim's tray files as soon as convenient! (Lmk if you need help with this. I will teach you if you don't know how!)

I will be updating the number of spots reserved periodically and will announce when all 14 spots are taken, but if you're ever unsure, don't be afraid to DM me/send an ask!

That should be it! Please comment, DM me, or send an ask if you have any questions, and feel free to reblog or share this with anyone who might be interested in participating!

[shadeysprings]

A Toast to New Beginnings

—Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Summary — Reconnecting with your childhood best friend was supposed to be a wonderful experience—until it wasn't.

Warnings — noncon/dubcon, drugging, implied kidnapping, childhood best friends to lovers with a dark twist, possessive Bucky and more that I could have forgotten.

Word Count — 1.7K

A/N — My second entry for @thebasementspouses The 12 Men of Christmas Writing Challenge. And it was such a thrill to write for Bucky again. As soon as I was able to choose what item to pair with him, my mind just went berserk. I mean, how could you not?!

Shoutout to my beta @sgt-seabass. But all mistakes are mine alone.

As always, your feedback is highly appreciated and your reblogs would be amazing. And of course, I hope y'all enjoy! ❤️

“It’s really good to see you again, Bucky.”

The smile you give him is mirrored on his face as he takes your empty plate, stacks it with his, and places them in the sink.

It’s been years since you last saw him, years since you ran away from home and established a new life in the city. You thought he would be angry for leaving him, your only friend in your small town, after you had both promised to be there for each other no matter what.

Though life back then was tough and unpredictable. And as a teenager, it gave you no choice but to leave everything behind, to escape the hardships. Including him.

The years seem to have worn on him with the way he’s grown. You couldn’t believe that this is the same Bucky you knew who roughed up the kids that made fun of you, and stole lollipops from the local store just because you wanted them. He was reckless back then, a bad boy as the old women called him. But now, he seems like an entirely different person and yet at the same time familiar. Like home.

Gone is the long hair you’ve always known him to have, recalling how he beat up the boys who teased him for it, and loved how his mother would comb it out for him despite saying how much he disliked it. Now, his hair is neatly trimmed with the shadow of his beard just kissing his face. He’s also grown bigger; muscles bulged from his shoulders and arms, almost making his navy henley shirt too tight for him. 

Guilt suddenly swirls around you, twiddling your fingers together as you remain seated at table and watch him tidy up the kitchen. You even take the time to observe his apartment—a complete bachelor’s pad. But you can’t help but notice the small touches he’s added that reminds you of his childhood home.

He’s never brought up the past once since you met last week by chance at the grocery store. Never once has he shown any emotions of betrayal for what you’ve done. But with you, it’s all you’ve been thinking about after parting ways and agreeing to his invitation to reconnect.

“You remember my mama’s eggnog back then?” He says, disrupting your train of thought, a smile still ever present on his lips when you look up at him.

You smile once more, the memory washing over you like a wave. “How can I forget? She always made mine with chocolate.”

“You always were her favorite,” he laughs heartily. “Liked you more than her own son.”

“Well, she always did want a girl. And I’m the closest thing to a daughter she’ll ever have,” you say with equal mirth.

“Yeah, yeah. Go sit on the couch.” Bucky instructs with a playful inflection in his voice.  You stand from the dining table, already making your way to the living room. “I’ll bring you a mug before I give you your present.”

“Present?” That surprises you.

Taking a seat on the couch, you finally notice a small red box sitting on the low coffee table, your name written on the card. You didn’t know he was preparing something for you, and you came to his place empty handed. If the situation were different, if this were to happen in the past, you would have teased each other about it. But with so much time wedged between the both of you, you can’t help but feel another bout of remorse and realize how much things have changed.

“Here you go.” 

You look up at Bucky and take the offered mug, the warmth radiating in your palms. He joins you on the couch, a mug for himself in his hand, and a smile grazes his face when he takes a sip. His blue eyes cast over at you, curiosity present. 

“You’re sad.” He says, turning in his seat to face you completely. “Did something upset you?”

Placing your drink on the table, you clasp your hands tight and stare blankly into nothing. Of course something upset you. Everything since Bucky came back into your life upset you. It wasn’t because he was part of the past you wanted to forget but more so because you abandoned him.

Yet here he is, making you meals and your favorite drink, the gift adding to the pain that you desperately keep hiding deep in your chest. 

“Bucky— I—”

“You don’t have to say anything.” You look over at him when he interrupts, his mug now sitting beside yours. “You did what you had to do, I know. It took time to accept it, but I eventually did.” His hands then envelop yours, his warmth seeping into your skin. There’s a slight smile on his face, the same one that always brought you comfort whenever something troubled you. 

Slowly, he reaches over to give your cheek a gentle pinch, ultimately making you chuckle at the childish gesture. Your mug is placed between your palms, and he takes his all the same, sipping on it before nodding in your direction. 

“Go on. Mama’s eggnog always makes you feel better during the holidays,” he urges. 

“Well, she always made mine special,” you respond, sticking your tongue out playfully at him, and take a heavy gulp of the warm beverage. But your face twists when you swallow, a sour aftertaste scattering on the surface of your tongue that makes you look at your mug, then at Bucky. 

“Is something wrong?” He asks in concern.

“No,” you say, trying to appease him, but the cough you release lets him know otherwise. “Just— I don’t remember it being this bitter.”

“Shit. I must have added too much cinnamon in it.” There’s a frown on his lips as he stands from his seat, holding his hand out for the mug. “I can make you a new one if you like. Probably hold back on the cinnamon this time.”

“Oh, don’t bother.” You tell him, schooling your features as you take another sip. “It’s still good. But maybe I can have a glass of water with it?”

“Already on it.” 

You take another mouthful as he leaves for the kitchen, hoping to get used to the bitter aftertaste. But it’s an endeavor you stop, placing the mug back on the coffee table and instead reaching out for the red box to guess its contents. 

But your heart begins to beat at a rapid pace, hands shaking uncontrollably, and you gasp when you feel your muscles tighten then loosen altogether, making you lean back against the cushions of the couch like a wilted flower as you try to decipher what’s happening. You try to call for Bucky to help you in your mysterious ordeal, but no matter how hard you try, no words leave your lips. And in just a matter of seconds, you’re rendered helpless and incapacitated. 

Your eyes widen when you see Bucky return, eyes cast down on you as he sets the glass of water beside your mug. He says nothing, not even questioning how you’ve come to be this way, yet there seems to be no sense of urgency permeating through him. And instead, he lets out a chuckle when he takes your legs from the floor and lifts them up to the couch. 

“Well, what do you know! It does have a fast reaction time,” he says with a grin, taking a seat at your side and reaching over to caress your face.

What? He did this on purpose? But why?

Confusion runs wildly in your head as tears stream down your cheeks. You feel nothing yet everything all at once; the sound of his heavy breaths when he leans closer, the heat that flutters on your skin when he grazes his fingertips against it, and the sight of his intense stare, how the blue of his eyes grow bolder, the concern and, dare you say, love in them earlier replaced with hunger, possessiveness and something darker.

“After years of waiting, I finally have you, my Dove.” 

That name. 

It’s been years since you’ve heard it. And it was only him and his mother who called you as such. The name that used to bring you joy each time you heard it. Yet now, it elicits fear in your chest.

Sapphire orbs bores into your eyes while his hand caresses your cheek. “Unlike before, I won’t let you go that easily.” His hand snakes down to your neck, then lower to your breast, taking a tit in his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “In all honesty, you did this to yourself. If you never left me, we would never be in this situation. We could have been married. Living a simple life on the outskirts of town. Maybe even here in the city.” Releasing your breast, he pushes his hand lower, skating down your blouse and stopping just at the edge of your jeans. With deft hands, he undoes the button and pulls down the zip, your chest pounding as you foresee the coming events, wanting to kick him away from you—but it’s no use.

You no longer see your childhood best friend, your protector through the years. What you see is a stranger, a monster, here to haunt you through the next.

He’s strong, pulling the fabric off your thighs and tossing them haphazardly to the ground. He then stands, eyes raking over your body, and you’re once more stricken with fear when he starts to undo his pants. 

“Now, I’ll make sure that you never leave me,” he continues, kicking his pants away and taking your legs in his hands, lifting them over his shoulders as he kneels before you. 

You do nothing but watch in horror and feel his ministrations when he pushes your panties aside and presses his thumb against your clit. He rolls it slowly, teasing, dampening your cunt with each stroke he makes, pulling at the pleasure you desperately tamp down, but all your efforts are useless with your body subdued.

He lines his cock against your cunt, feeling the way he rubs the tip against your folds, taunting to penetrate at any moment. 

“This time, I’ll make sure we’ll be together forever.”

[none-of-these-days]

Sexy Santa CEO Johnny for @cawthorntales bachelor challenge!

Johnny's assistant insisted that her boss dresses up as sexy Santa for their upcoming Winterfest campaign. Johnny isn't sure how this is going to help further their profits but according to his assistant, Gen Z likes if CEOs don't take themself to serious. He's still a bit embarassed about that whole photoshot tho...

[simsdaughters]

RICH ROMANCE - A BACHELOR CHALLENGE

-Meet Emet S. Galvus-

A single grandfather to a lovely little menace, old soul - with an emphasis on old - Emet S. Galvus, CEO and owner of Galvus Tech Security is ready to give love a chance again (x6). Unlike previous installations of the bachelor challenge however, he would rather host the event in an old gothic manor, more suited to his elegant, elevated and old-fashioned taste. Hopefully, the lucky winner will fit these same criterias !

People who want to submit contestant entries to the challenge may tag this blog in posts detailing their lovely sims entries, and 7 participants will be picked to come and try to woo this old man !

The deadline is July 12 !

[riverofjazzsims]

Gem Barrett for @rainymoodlet Rock of Love BC

Private Download if chosen

Back story:

Gem, born in Willow Creek County to the local Pastor and his wife, she was a precocious child and nothing like her older brother. No worries both her parents reminded her constantly of that shortcoming.  For a while the "wild child" curiosity was accepted as toddler antics but as Gem became older her outgoing way was frowned on especially by her mother. It was around the age of 8 when that shift occurred. Gems mom was pregnant with her baby sister, and she remembers everyone being so excited and her parents heading to the hospital so they could bring her little sister home, except only her parents came back. Her mother was never the same towards her again. She would hear her parents arguing and around the age of 12 is the first time she heard her mom utter the phrase "bayou bitch baby" It was not too long after that when she found out the woman that was raising her wasn't her mother at all. It did not make sense to Gem though because neither was her brother. Her older brother was from their fathers first marriage, his mom did not fancy being the pastor's wife or a mom so she left and divorced their dad.

The bomb was dropped when she was 14, her father the good pastor, had an affair early in her mom's marriage to him that resulted in her birth. Due to his standing in the community he didn't want his or his family name to be tarnished. His solution was to have his now wife fake a pregnancy (all while knowing she had fertility issues) until Gem was born. He went so far as to arrange for her birth mother to stay with them towards the end and had a home birth there in the room Gem called her own. That's how they were able to pass her off as her "mother's" child. They kept her birth mom around for the first month and then sent her on her way, no one the wiser.  When her mother lost her baby sister, she lost EVERYTHING that would allow for her to ever carry a child of her own, the only thing that she nurtured now was her bitterness and resentment of Gem. 

Thank god for Gems BFF Liza, or as she was affectionately known, Lying Liza. She was her rock through that toxic childhood, she was her escape.  It was Liza home that she felt loved and wanted, not her own, and she spent more time with them. But Lying Liza was called that for a reason as she was known for the extraordinary tales /Lies she would make up about the things she did and people she met, especially as they became teens. Gem wasn't allowed to listen to much music, especially none of that sinful stuff! With Liza, she was introduced to an eclectic array of music but both their favorite was rock. Iron revival, a rather new band at the time,  was Gems go to when she was needing to get lost in her emotions.

  Liza swore she was a groupie that got to meet some of the leads in their favorite rock groups over spring break and even shared a hot kiss with one though she refused to name( insert eye roll,) ok whatever you say Liza. But it was the summer of their 15th year that she and Liza got the chance to go to an indie rock group festival. The sights, the sounds, so much for Gem to absorb. Needless to say, at the end of that festival Gem came home with more than a T-shirt. 

Nine months later Gem gave birth to a daughter, with her mother staring her down and mumbling, "Bayou Bitch Baby just like HER". Forced to give her up, Gem got 24 hrs with a child she would never see again. They wouldn't even let her name her for the birth certificate. When she could no longer hear the small cries as her parents left with her daughter and when she could no longer finish screaming out her loss and pain because she was empty, she looked and there Liza was, her rock, the only person she confided in with her plan. Six Months later Gem left home and hasn't been back since. 

Fast forward, Gem made her way to the Pacific northwest and met up with some local bands in the Granite Falls area.  She realized she had a knack with people, planning, and an ear for music and how to best showcase it. Though she might have been the wild child her parents barely tolerated, one thing for sure that not even they could deny was how smart Gem was.  She spent the next several years building her business and brand. When it came to giving the smaller bands, the break needed to help boost them, you went to see her. She started to be known as the go to, Promotional Gems was a name those on the come up could trust. She was always about giving people a chance. Fairly sure it was to make up for all the chances her own family never extended to her. 

Liza would come up and visit her over the years, bring news from home, it was a few years back, right before Lying Liza went and found love, picket fences and 2.5 kids that she brought word of Gems father. He was on Hospice and wanted his daughter to come home, Gem refused him the visit, but not the letter he sent her. There he told Gem about her biological mother, how she showed up one day a couple years back, told him of the letters she had been writing and that he knew nothing about. Seems Gems "mother" had been intercepting all those letters and had hid them. He promised he would have her brother mail them to her along with where she could find her if she desired. That day wasn't until after her father passed away when her brother showed up at her office with the all the letters her biological mom had written to her over the years.  It was too late though, when Gem went back to Willow Creek County (seems her mother hadn't gone too far as she wanted to be close to her daughter) she found her in a nursing home with late-stage Alzheimer.  

Gem spent her mother's last few months going back and forth between Granite falls and Willow Creek County.  During this time, she began to think more and more of family, specifically the daughter she was made to give up, the mother she never got to know and what she may want to do with her life.   

When one of her favorite bands from her youth has a member show back up in the spotlight and willing to do a BC.. the teen heart that played their CD's until even the walls of her room knew the lyrics, she melted at the chance to connect with someone whose music unknowingly was part of her healing during her darkest time, was a beacon and safe harbor whenever the headphones went on. So Yeah, Gem is signing up in hopes of...... 

Hope, love and even the nerve to try and find her the daughter lost to her 

Does she have what it takes to Rock it out long enough to be Jacksons Rock of Love 

*Gem is a townie remake from @cowplant-snacks Townie group C

[novapark]

Izan's ISBIBC

So I'm still kinda in setup/build hell but I'm getting itchy to play so I thought I might do a little bachelor challenge to get my fix while I continue to build. To start let's get the general details out of the way first so you can know if this is for you or not:

This is a GAMEPLAY oriented BC. Posing will be limited to fun story things for introductions and exits.

I will play this ISBI style, meaning I ONLY control Izan. I can do group commands like "call to meal" but that's it.

I will do rounds of eliminations based on Izan's relationship with the contestants. I think it'll be every 3 days so they have some time to make their moves and maybe do an off lot activity.

I will take a maximum of seven contestants, any and all cc is fine.

It is first come, first serve and your entry isn't counted until I have the sim's files in hand.

So with the basics out of the way, let me tell you a little about Izan.

He's 23

He has three very young children.

He's a witch

He has adhd

His main traits are Adventurous, Socially Awkward, and Self-Assured

He is the youngest of six.

He is one of my main sims of my current generation so he plays a main role in most of my saves and stories. He is a prince of one of my countries in the royal sims universe, he's a townie in Rio's save in ts3, and he's Atlas' best friend in NSB. So there will be a lot of opportunity to see your sim build a life with him.

Now for what he is looking for:

Izan is pan so any gender is fine.

Occults are fine

Gotta be okay with being a step-parent.

No one perfect. Please give them at least one negative trait.

If you want to make a post to introduce them, feel free but otherwise you can just send me a message with a bit about them. I mostly need to know their gender identity so I make sure they are set right with my mods, and if possible two talents and two weaknesses I can set them up with.

Anyway, I think that's finally it. The tag for this is IzansISBIBC. Let me know if you have any questions.

[foundress0fnothing]

leave a kiss but in the cup

Summary: Cassian gets roped into helping organize Rhys and Feyre’s wedding when, on a whim, the two decide to throw it at the winery in the small town where the brothers all grew up. The problem? He has to work with Feyre's older sister, Nesta. And she hates him.

Chapter 1/?: 3.1k words, eventual E rating for smut

For @nessianweek

Another late entry for Nessian Week! This was supposed to be posted on Day 4, but I spent that day in the aforementioned ER, so here it is today. There's not update schedule, and I don't have any of it prewritten.

Read on ao3 or below the cut!

As he stretches out on the pontoon that he chartered for Rhys’ bachelor weekend, drunk on sun and local beer, Cassian can’t think of any place he’d rather be. 

He’s spent time backpacking around the world, seen big cities, and explored natural wonders but still—he’s positive that there’s nowhere better than the lake town where he grew up. There’s something about the water and the slow pace of life and the easy warmth of the people that he hasn’t managed to find anywhere else, and so even though the drive to his hometown takes an ungodly fourteen hours from where he lives now in Philly, he still makes the trip every year. The exhaustion and the stiff back from too-long driving shifts and the fact that he has to put up with Az’s edgelord playlists are worth it every time.

And this year, there’s even more reason to make the drive—his brother is getting married in a week and wanted to spend his last few days as a bachelor in the place they all still called home. 

They all met Feyre six months ago at a restaurant in Fishtown when she was their waitress, and from the moment she called Rhys a prick for ostentatiously flashing an Amex Black Card when it came time to pay, Cassian could tell that his brother had finally met the one. Their love had been a messy whirlwind of drama and passion as they navigated exes and family troubles, but it wasn’t long before Feyre had Rhys’ family ring on her finger and was picking out a wedding dress. Cassian knew that once Rhys found what he wanted, he’d do anything to make it his as soon as possible—Feyre was no exception.

When it came time to plan the bachelor weekend, then, Rhys only had two requests: that it take place in Cherry Hills and that there weren’t any strippers. Cassian had almost laughed out loud when Rhys told him that. Sure, he had his bro-y moments, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that strippers would be the right thing for his brother just before he was getting married.

Plus, the former request precluded the latter—Cherry Hills wasn’t the kind of place he’d find strippers easily. Interested in idyllic boat trips on one of the rivers or lakes? Great. Hoping to spend a few hours outdoors and then end the day with a round of minigolf? Even better. Looking to hire professional entertainment for the evening? Extremely challenging. It was the quintessential Midwestern small summer tourist tour—busy for a few weeks with vacationers and outdoor enthusiasts and day-drunk parents and popsicle-sticky children that then shut down the moment October hit and brought the first snowfalls. Not the ideal place for establishing any kind of nightlife. If you wanted that, it was at least a 45-minute drive south down M22.

And since Rhys only wanted his brothers there anyway, Cassian had planned the weekend to be more of a homage to their high school days than the usual bachelor bacchanalia. They had kayaked on the river where they first learned to swim, hiked the sand dunes where they used to race each other to the top to drink shitty beer and talk about what they’d do when they finally got out of Cherry Hills, and ate in the cash-only restaurant that had been around longer than any of them had been alive. 

They had saved the boat ride around the lake for their last day because somehow, despite doing nothing besides sitting and drinking and eating, it always manages to exhaust them. It’s the good kind of exhaustion, at least, this heaviness that comes with too much sun and too much food—a perfect way to end a perfect bachelor weekend. Not that Cassian is bragging.

But still—he had done a good job.

A voice breaks through his self-congratulatory haze. “So, what’s next?” 

“What do you mean, what’s next?” Cassian sits up to glare at Rhys who has draped himself over a few seats on the opposite side of the boat. Azriel raises an eyebrow at Rhys from where he’s perched in the driver’s seat but doesn’t say anything, apparently content to let his brothers argue it out. Bastard.

Rhys shrugs with all the indolence of a lazy housecat. “The boat’s due back to the rental place in 30 minutes, yeah?” Cassian nods. “So what’re we doing after that?”

Cassian frowns and says, “What else do you want to do?” He’s planned an evening of takeout pizza and video games back at their rental, but he has the sinking feeling that’s not what Rhys has in mind.

“You’re the one in charge. Surprise me.” 

Rhys waves a hand in his direction as he says this, and Cassian thinks, for just a few moments, about how easy it would be to murder his brother and dump his body overboard. The lake is shallow though—too shallow to get away with it—and so he settles for a clipped, “You know this town as well as I do. We’ve done everything there is to do.” Rhys doesn’t answer, and so Cassian tries to remember how much cash he has left and whether it would be enough for a final round of drinks at the Tavern. Probably not, but he resigns himself to paying the $7 surcharge to use the ATM outside of the restaurant. “We could always go to the Tavern—” 

“There’s a new wine tasting room,” Azriel interrupts, and both Cassian and Rhys turn to look at him, the latter pulling his sunglasses up to rest on his head for a moment. Azriel shrugs. “They opened in April apparently.”

“And they’re good?”

“Didn’t have that on the flier in the IGA, sorry.”

Cassian glances at Rhys. “Will that satisfy you, asshole?”

“Yes, I think that’ll do quite nicely, thank you,” Rhys says, slipping his sunglasses back down over his eyes. 

Cassian gives Azriel a long suffering look, but Azriel only snorts and turns the engine back on, signaling the return of the party to dry land and the start of whatever this wine tasting is about to be. Cassian only hopes that it’s cheap and strong.

—----------------------------------------------

The wine tasting room—creatively named Cherry Hill Wines—is situated just off the main road on the first floor of a two-story house that’s been converted into a storefront. Cassian can’t quite see the lake from where he stands on the front porch, but it’s close enough that, in the lulls between children’s shouts and tourists’ conversations, he can just make out the sound of the water. 

The shop itself is busy with people dropping by for happy hour, and Cassian is glad of his extra height as he steps inside and surveys the space from his place at the back of the short line. There’s a small menu on the wall above the bar and a row of fridges lining the sides of the room stocked with ice cream and small, pre-made charcuterie plates. A shelf by the front door has local crafts for sale—candles and coffee mugs and keychains all proudly emblazoned with images of Cherry Hills. There are only a few open seats at the bar, but through the French doors at the back of the room he spies a handful of fire pits with chairs set up around them, cornhole boards and bags, and a wide grassy lawn perfect for picnic blankets or lawn chairs. It’s cozy, Cassian thinks, and clearly something already beloved by the tourists if the number of people packed into the space is any indication. 

And then he sees her. 

She’s standing behind the counter taking orders and pouring glasses of wine while she chats with the customers. Her hair is golden brown and braided into a tight coronet  of her head. Her eyes are a storm of blues and grays, flashing with an inner fire that makes something in Cassian sit up and pay attention, and he wonders how the hell someone who looks like that ended up in Cherry Hills. She sure as hell didn’t grow up there—Cassian would remember her. 

He nudges Azriel with his shoulder to get his attention and nods his head toward the backyard, although his gaze still lingers on the woman behind the counter. “Grab a spot outside. I’ll get the first round.”

Azriel arches his eyebrow, following Cassian’s line of sight to the woman. He snorts and says, “Good luck with that.” Before Cassian can respond, however, he grabs Rhys and steers him outside.

Cassian flips him off behind his back, laughing at Rhys’ confused expression at being ferried outside, and then turns back to the counter to find the woman glaring at him. The line had dissipated more quickly than he expected, and Cassian realizes that she must have been waiting for him to finish goofing off with his brothers.

He puts on his most charming smile, the one that’s gotten him out of trouble ever since he was a little boy. “Sorry.” He shrugs. “Brothers, you know?”

If anything, her glare only intensifies, and Cassian almost preens at the challenge it presents. 

Hands on her hips, she asks, “Well? What do you want?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. What’s good?” He leans in and winks. “You?” He half hopes she falls for his charm, half hopes she continues glaring at him. The prospect of either—of her fire, her attention turned on him, no matter the reason—makes him crave more.

Her eyebrow arches, and she ignores his flirtation to answer acerbically, “All that time in line and you couldn’t be bothered to make up your mind? 

“Were you watching me? I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. It’s hard to miss an oversized brute when he invades my store.”

“Your store? Very impressive, sweetheart—

But she interrupts him, looking behind him and calling out, “Next!

“But—” Cassian starts, but before he can say anything, her voice, flinty and angry, cuts him off again.

“You can go to the back of the line since you need more time to make up your mind.” She glares at him again as she says this before returning her gaze to whoever is standing behind him.

He blows out an exasperated breath, rolling his eyes at her dramatics. “Whatever, I’ll just get three glasses—”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t hear Mrs. Stephenson’s order.”

Cassian stiffens slightly and turns around to see his former history teacher. The woman had made his high school years absolutely miserable—she was suspicious and shrew-like, always handing out detentions to him for things that no other student—ones with active parents who drove them to school in new cars and came to parent-teacher conferences wearing Rolexes and Birkin bags—got in trouble for. 

She glares up at him. “Still causing trouble, I see

“No, ma’am. Just taking advantage of this lovely lady’s willingness to let me gather my thoughts. Please go ahead.”

A few more tourists had entered while he had been at the bar, and Cassian sighs as he moves to get in line again behind them. If he has to hear shit about taking a long time from Rhys and Azriel, he’ll go home and have pizza and play video games by himself. Fuck it.

The line moves quickly at least as a redhead joins the ice queen at the bar, and it isn’t long before Cassian is once again staring down into the blue-gray eyes of winery nemesis. She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

The redhead glances over, clearly confused by the strange stalemate taking place next to her and says, in a voice slightly tinged with exasperation. “Nesta, can you get his order?”

“That depends. Is he able to actually place one this time?”

“He is, Nesta,” he fires back, savoring the feeling of her name on his tongue. “One Pinot Grigio and two Farmstead Reds.”

“Amazing. Commendable work. You made it through a basic human interaction,” she says as she ducks beneath the bar to grab three glasses.”

“All thanks to your outstanding service, Nes.” He watches her nostrils flare at the nickname.

“Nope.” She sets the empty glasses down on the bar with a harsh clink. “I’ll send you to the back of the line again.”

He meets her glare with one of her own, and it is perhaps fortuitous that his brothers choose that moment to make their way back inside. 

“Cassian, what the fuck is taking so long?” Rhys says when he reaches his side.

Azriel is close behind and murmurs to Cassian with a smirk, “He’s only mad because I beat him at cornhole. Twice.”

Cassian rolls his eyes, thinking wistfully of video games and beer and time spent without demanding brothers and snooty women. Another night. Instead, he shrugs. Just took me a while to pick out the right thing for you assholes. That’s all.

There’s a snort from the bar that Cassian pointedly ignores. No use getting into it with the ice queen again in front of the other two. 

But it catches Rhys’ attention, and his gaze lingers on the woman long enough to make Cassian’s hackles raise. It’s not like Rhys to really pay attention to anyone else anymore now that he has Feyre, and Cassian doesn’t like that it’s this woman who’s the object of his attention. Not that Cassian has any claim to it either. And yet.

He doesn’t intervene when Rhys takes a step closer to the bar, his eyes still on Nesta, as asks, “Are you Feyre’s sister?”

And then Cassian can see the resemblance. The hair color and the eyes are almost exactly the same, but where they make Feyre seem alight with youthful energy and warmth, Nesta’s are worn almost like a cold, brutal suit of armor against the world. Or again him, at any rate.

And apparently against Rhys, because she’s glaring at him as she asks, “How do you know Feyre?”

“I’m her fiance.” Rhys smiles. “It’s good to meet someone from her family.”

Nesta raises an eyebrow. “You’re the restaurant asshole she’s marrying? Didn’t you guys just meet?”

He shrugs, tucking his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “When you know…”

Nesta looks at Cassian, who’s just watching the interaction, and rolls her eyes. He snorts quietly, despite himself. Because she’s not wrong. He would agree with her generally—marrying someone after knowing them for only half a year is crazy. 

But he’s seen Rhys and Feyre together, and what they have works for them. Would it be what he’d choose? No. But it seems—good.

Rhys is still talking. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

“Clearly.”

Another voice, coming from the stockroom, politely expands on Nesta’s brusque answer. “She moved up here with me and another friend after college.”

“Em?” Cassian exclaims. Standing there before him is his old friend, Emerie Alvarez.

Cassian scoops the woman up into a giant bear hug. They haven’t seen each other since he graduated high school. She had been a freshman when he was a senior, but he knew what it was like to have a shitty family in a place  like Cherry Hills, and so he always looked out for her while he was there. The town was small enough after all—with only 20 or so kids in each graduating class, it wasn’t hard to know everybody's business.

He gestures proudly around the shop. “This is yours?”

She nods, clearly pleased. “We—Nesta, Gwyn, and I—bought the winery off my dad three years ago before he moved to Ohio. But it’s a little far out from the tourist scene, so we bought a place here this year to do tastings.”

“Look at you, Em.” He gives her another hug, ruffling her hair in a brotherly fashion until she jams her elbow into his side, hard enough that he winces. He’s pleased—beyond pleased, really—that she managed to shake off her family and do something for herself in the town he knows she loves just as much as he does.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Nesta looking at him, but her face has turned contemplative, curious rather than coldly calculating. 

“What brings you all back up here?” Emerie gestures to his brothers. “It’s good to see you, Azriel, Rhys.”

Cassian smiles and steps forward to throw his arm around Rhys’ shoulder. “Rhysie’s getting married and wanted to do his bachelor party here.” His grin turns into a smirk. “And guess whose sister he’s marrying?”

Emerie follows Cassian’s gaze to Nesta, who only shrugs and says, “Apparently.”

Rhys frowns slightly. “You got an invitation. I know Feyre sent one.”

“I’m aware.”

“Nes—” Emerie starts, but Nesta continues on before Emerie says anything else.

“I’m going to the shotgun wedding to support Feyre, don’t worry.”

“It’s not a—”

“Okay, here are your drinks! Please find a spot. Outside.” The redhead—Gwyn—who had been observing the conversation and apparently getting their drinks while Nesta was distracted, intervenes and hands them to Az, cutting Rhys off.

Az smiles at her thankfully and once again herds Rhys out the door. Gwyn, Cassian notices, is blushing slightly.

Before following his brothers, he turns back to Nesta, who still seems to be fuming slightly. He can’t help but stoke the fire of her temper, and so he says, “Aww, Nes, we’re going to be family.”

“Nope.” She shakes her head decisively. “And don’t call me that.” “You’re right.” He nods and then smiles lasciviously. “I’m not sure I’d want to call you my sister.

She catches his meaning and glares. “Pig.”

“You love it.”

Emerie shoves his shoulder. “Stop being an ass. You’re better than that.”

“She brings out the best in me, what can I say?” He quips, shrugging, but something churns within him anyway. Enough. Shaking his head, he takes a step back from the bar. “Em, it was good to see you again. Gwyn, it was good to meet you. And, Nes,” he smiles, “I’ll see you at the wedding.”

—---------------------------------------

The next morning, Cassian wakes early and begins puttering around the rental’s kitchen, gathering trash and cans and bottles as he goes. They have to check out by 10 a.m., and there’s a fair amount they have to do per the house rules: strip the beds, take the trash out, clean the surfaces, run the dishwasher.

Hearing the noise, Rhys saunters out of the bedroom and perches on one of the stools by the kitchen bar. “Why are you doing so much cleaning?”

Cassian blinks and looks at him in confusion. “Because it’s checkout day?”

“Mmmm, not anymore.”

Crossing his arms, Cassian leans against one of the counters. “What do you mean ‘not anymore’?”

Rhys brushes some invisible lint off of his plaid pajama bottoms. “I called the owners and extended it.”

“But the wedding—”

“Feyre and I talked about it last night. We don’t want to get married in Philly anymore.”

Cassian closes his eyes, because he knows what’s coming next. 

“We’re getting married here. At Cherry Hills Winery.”